Becoming Her Lover
by TheAnimeFicWriter
Summary: Umi and Kotori have always been friends, but one special day, things start to take a major turn with only one of them realizing their true intent. Can they both handle this drastic change in their friendship?
1. Chapter 1

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 1

An Interesting Start

 **Note:** Here's another Love Live story for you guys. Personally, I thought my previous one went better than expected some I hoping I keep it up. This is another one of my favorite ships so I hope you all enjoy.

Honoka, Umi, and Kotori finished their first concert as a group and the three of them were overcome with relief and emotions of all sorts. They couldn't believe they were able to do it and they were even more happy that there were people there watching. The reactions were all pretty good except for Eli, but they were determined to change her mind. Once their concert was over, the three of them decided to head home. They've been through a lot today so resting was the only thing they could do now. However, before they all separated, Kotori wrapped her arm around Umi and gave her a suggestive look.

"Would you mind if I spent the night tonight?"

"I don't see why not. My parents aren't home though."

"It's fine. You know you're parents love me."

"Yeah, that's true. Okay, let's go."

"Yay!" Kotori's face lit up as she remained latched onto Umi's arm. They two of them continued on their way to Umi's house. They didn't really say much, but they were definitely excited about Muse and what the plans for them in the future would look like.

When they arrived at Umi's house, they went up to her room and dropped off their things. When they came back down, Umi headed into the kitchen and prepared some dinner for the two of them. Her cooking wasn't super impressive, but there was nothing else to eat so this was the only choice. As she was doing that, Kotori wandered around her house and enjoyed the sight of her family's things. Pictures of them were all over the house which caused her to smile. They all looked so cute, especially Umi. Once her little tour was over, she headed back into the kitchen where Umi was hard at work finishing up some things. That's when Kotori came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist.

"Kotori, what are you doing?"

"What? I can't hug you like this."

"Not when I'm cooking. You could get hurt."

"Well, if I get hurt, I'll just have you make me feel better," she said quietly as she kissed Umi on the neck. This immediately caused Umi's face to get all red. She wiggled around until Kotori finally let go. By that time, the food was ready so she place the food on the table where they sat down and dug in.

"So how is it?"

"Mmm, it's really good. Thank you Umi-chan." She couldn't help but let a blush appear on her face.

"No problem. It's always nice to hear that my food is good. I do try my best."

"I know you do." At that moment, Umi's eyes shot open as she felt something strange touch her leg. She didn't want to look down and bring attention to it, but it felt like Kotori's toes were massaging her leg. What is she doing her? Then she gasped. She's not even wearing her socks. What is this girl doing? Umi looked over to the other side of the table and noticed that Kotori was eating her food like normal and yet, her feet were doing their thing against her leg. There was no way she could concentrate.

"Um, Kotori…"

"Yes." She suddenly stopped with her little massage. Umi looked at her and saw her beautiful eyes staring right at her.

"Uh, nothing. Never mind." She quickly shoved the food in her mouth and left the table. She dumped her plate into the sink and ran upstairs to get into the bath. She grabbed her pajamas and ran into the bath where she sat in the tub and tried to calm down.

What is going on? Why is Kotori acting like this? I mean, just yesterday, she was acting normal around me. Did I do something to cause this? Ugh, I'm so confused. She sunk her body even lower into the water as she heard a door close. She turned her head to see the silhouette of someone's body outside of the bath.

"Umi-chan, I'm coming in, okay?"

"Eh, what?!" Umi's face was turning redder by the second. "Wait, Kotori, you can't come in yet. I'm not done."

"It's fine. I was planning on helping you clean your body." Leaving no time to think, Kotori opened the door and stepped inside, completely naked and showing no shame whatsoever. Umi caught a glance at her body and nearly had a nose bleed. She was perfect in some many ways. Her curves, her breasts, her butt; everything about her screamed model. She couldn't handle it so she quickly turned around and tried to hide her red face. She heard Kotori step into the bath behind her and tried to stay calm. Just relax, it's just two girls having a friendly bath together… that's it.

"Mmm, it feels so good."

"Haha, yeah." Umi tried to lighten the mood, but she only felt like it got worse.

"Umi-chan, are you okay?"

"Of… Of course. Why would I not be alright?" Out of nowhere, Kotori came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her body which caused Umi to panic even more.

"Because it seemed like you were acting a little strange."

"Strange? I have no idea what you're… Ah!" At that moment, Kotori kissed her on the neck. Umi couldn't contain herself anymore. She continued to kiss her around the neck while Umi was completely defenseless. "Kotori, what are you… Mmm." Then, she nestled her nose against Umi's ear causing her to shut up again. Everywhere Kotori touched her made Umi feel really good. She couldn't explain it. As she continued to tease her neck area, one of her hands trailed up to Umi's breast which caused an immediate response. She stood up and stormed out of the bathroom.

"Umi-chan?" Kotori sat there in the tub and watched as Umi stormed off in a hurry. She was so confused since Umi wasn't prone to acting like this. She quickly finished bathing herself and made it back to Umi's room. When she got there, she noticed that Umi was already asleep with her head facing the wall. A futon was on the ground with a pillow and blanket as the lights were off. Meanwhile, Kotori was contemplating on what she should do. She looked at the futon, but realized that Umi's bed was probably more comfortable. She pulled up the blankets and climbed in behind her. Unknowing to Kotori, Umi was actually awake. She was shocked that Kotori was doing something like this. Her face was all red, but in the darkness of the room, no one could tell. Kotori put her arm around Umi's body and kissed her on the cheek. "Good night Umi." She got in close and Umi could feel her breasts press against her back. She did everything in her power to hold back the nose bleed that was on the verge of erupting.

What was she supposed to do about this? Kotori's behavior was simply unacceptable. Out of nowhere, she started acting like this and Umi didn't know how to handle it, but then, something came to mind. Maybe it was just because of the concert. Maybe she was just a little happy about performing for everyone. Umi nodded her head and calmed herself with that thought. That's got to be it. Once that was cleared up, she was able to fall asleep with ease.

End of Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 2

Kotori's True Feelings

 **Note:** Here's another update for you guys. If you want to know, I've finally started my journey around the world. Our first stop was in Sequoia National Park. It was simply beautiful. After that, we took a little detour to Las Vegas. All I can say about that city is that people are insane. After that, we headed to Zion National Park in Utah. Now, I'm on my way across the US to visit the East Coast. Wish me luck and I'm wishing all of you the most wonderful days of your lives.

The next morning came around and Umi was the first to wake up. She had a slow start since the thought of what happened last night was a little weird for her. She slowly cracked open her eyes and tried to clench her fists, but when she did, she noticed something strange. When her eyes were completely open, she saw that she was sleeping on top of Kotori's body and her hand was right on Kotori's breast. She squeezed once more to fully realize what was happening. At that moment of her full realization, she panicked and fell out of bed. Umi's body falling off the bed caused Kotori to slowly open her eyes.

"Mmm, good morning Umi-chan."

"K-Kotori, what are you doing?"

"What are you talking about? I was sleeping."

"Of course you were sleeping. I'm asking about what you're wearing… Eh, I mean, what you're not wearing." Kotori looked down and saw her naked body still sitting on Umi's bed.

"What? I like to sleep naked. It feels a lot more comfortable."

"Uh, no you don't. You've always talked about how you like snuggling into your warm pajamas and drowning yourself in thick blankets. Where is this coming from?"

"Well…" Kotori suddenly kicked her legs out from underneath the blankets, completely exposing her naked body to Umi. "You looked so warm when you were sleeping so I wanted to see if that was true."

"But you didn't need to be completely naked."

"But I wanted to." She slowly climbed off her Umi's bed and crawled over to her.

"W-What are you doing?" She grabbed Umi's hand and started to pull it towards her chest. "Kotori, please, you just woke up. I don't think I…" At that moment, her hand was pressed again Kotori's skin where her heart was located. Umi immediately felt that her heart was pounding out of her chest. She was a little confused, but she eventually figured it out. "Kotori?"

"Umi-chan, I love you. I've always loved you."

"But, why me? Honoka is such a cuter, more likeable girl than me. I always thought you had feelings for her since she's always been so nice to…" Out of nowhere, Kotori pressed her lips against Umi's and knocked her back towards the ground. Umi was completely shocked by this course of action that Kotori was taking, but at the same time, it actually felt good. Kotori's lips were so soft and so warm that she nearly melted from her touch. Her hands were against her cheek and it was the same story. Her hands were so smooth and so gentle. Was all of this really happening? After a few more minutes of kissing, Kotori finally broke away as Umi urgently gasped for air.

"So, do you love me?" There it was. The almighty question that Umi didn't know how to answer finally arrived. All of this was just happening so fast that she felt like a deer in headlights.

"What? Why are you asking that of me? I don't know. I don't even know what's going on." She was panicking. Umi was very good at keeping her composure, but for some reason, this question really knocked her off of her feet. She continued to panic until Kotori grabbed her hand again and looked her in the eye.

"I don't want to rush you. You can give me your answer whenever you're ready. Just know that my heart belongs to you Umi-chan, and you alone." She kissed her on the cheek, stood up, and went to the bathroom to get ready for another day of school. On the other hand, Umi was lying on the ground soaking up her own sweat. She couldn't believe that this was happening and on such interesting conditions. When did these feelings start to develop? Has Kotori always been this cute? What is going on?

After a few minutes, Kotori walked back into her room with her clothes on and everything. This suddenly made her feel a lot better. Seeing Kotori naked was a little too much to handle. She was definitely a contender for the perfect body competition. Umi eventually grabbed her things and got ready. As she did, Kotori remained in her head. She tried thinking about other things, but when she did, Kotori's face would pop up and smile at her. There was just no escaping it. Her cuteness and beauty were just too much for her. Once she finished her shower, she walked back into her room where Kotori was waiting for her.

"Sorry I took so long."

"It's okay. I'm sure we'll get there on time." Umi smiled and walked over to her dresser. She opened up one of the drawers to where she socks were, but when she looked inside, nothing was inside.

"Hm?"

"What's wrong?"

"I'm out of socks."

"It's okay. I have an extra pair right here."

"Really? Can I borrow them?" She turned around and tried to snatch them out of her hand, but Kotori was too quick.

"Come sit down. I'll put them on for you."

"Kotori, stop playing around. We're going to be late."

"No, we're not. We still have like half an hour left." Umi knew her enough to know that this was stubborn Kotori and there was no changing her mind so she slowly walked over to her bed and sat down in front of Kotori with bright red cheeks.

"Umi-chan, give your foot." Umi turned her head and lifted her left foot onto Kotori's hand. "Umi-chan, you're feet are so pretty." She was about to tell her to hurry up when Kotori suddenly kissed her foot.

"Idiot, what are you doing?!"

"I'm putting your socks on for you."

"I'm pretty sure that doesn't require your lips against my skin."

"Umi-chan, I can't do this until you close your eyes and calm down."

"Kotori!"

"Come on. Just close your eyes and calm down." Umi sighed out loud and closed her eyes. There was no point in arguing with her since there was no way she could win. Once her eyes were closed, Kotori slid one sock up Umi's leg until it was nice and snug. With the other one, she took a different approach. She kissed her foot again and Umi jumped a little bit, but she still didn't open her eyes. When Kotori saw that she was obeying her commands, she moved a few inches up her leg and kissed her again. Umi was still a little jumpy about this, but she continued to keep her eyes shut. It kept on going until Kotori reached the bottom of Umi's skirt. That's when she couldn't handle it anymore. She opened her eyes, snatched the sock out of Kotori's hand, and crawled up onto her bed to avoid any more physical contact.

"That's enough!"

"But Umi-chan…"

"No buts. I let you put on my socks, but I never agreed to this sort of foreplay."

"But your face is all red. You were enjoying it, weren't you?" there was hiding it. Umi was blushing like crazy. She suddenly jumped out of bed, grabbed her bag, and headed downstairs in the blink of an eye.

"We need to get to school. Gosh!" Kotori watched her leave in a hurry and couldn't help but smile. This girl wouldn't admit it, but she was the cutest thing in the world.

End of Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 3

The First Move

 **Note:** Hey everyone. Sorry that this week's been a little weird, but I've finally taken my first steps in Europe. I arrived in Madrid and now spending some time in France. I can't describe how crazy this is. Although this is such a great opportunity for me, I do wish coming back home and giving you guys the normal schedule. If this helps at all, I should be returning mid to late July so things will return to normal by then. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you all enjoy.

During the next week of school, things were very different for the three of the second-years. Their popularity slowly increased as more and more girls approached them to say how good they were. It was also surprisingly how much they were being advertised since there was a small number of people who attended their concert.

Of course, Honoka was the most popular one, but Umi was the next one on that list. It was probably because she was on the archery team and nearly every girl thought she was the coolest girl on campus. With their first concert being pretty successful, they started their campaign to snag more members. Unfortunately, this part of their plan was pretty difficult. Everyone was really supportive of them, but none of them really wanted to join. This made them a little discouraged. They knew they had to be creative and they knew had to be really good if their popularity would be enough to save the school.

Throughout the day, the three of them did their best to advertise their group. Most of the people they encountered were willing to listen, but basing things off of the attendance of their concert, that was mostly it. They also tried to talking with the girls who attended like Hanayo, Rin, and Maki. Hanayo was the most willing to join them, but her personality prevented her from answering with her heart.

When the day came to an end, the three of them were pretty tired. They did everything they could to get their name out there. Honoka wanted to go into town and advertise as well, but Umi said that she had archery practice and Umi made it a point that she was going to both. They said their goodbyes and the three of them went their separate ways.

Umi made her way to the dojo where she was immediately halted by all of her teammates. They approached her with bright faces and smiles all around. On the other hand, Umi was quite shocked. She didn't really know what got over them.

"Umi-chan, I heard you guys were really good."

"Yeah, now I really want to see you guys perform.

"Umi-senpai, you're the best." She didn't know how to respond to all of these comments. Usually, the girls on the archery team were very quiet and only worried about their shooting. But thanks to Umi's change in character, everyone was just dying to know.

"W-What are you guys talking about?"

"You're concert. We all heard that you were really cute and really good." Umi's face went red. This kind of reaction was not what she was expecting. And plus, she wasn't really good when it came to compliments.

"Oh uh, thanks. We might be doing another one soon so maybe you guys can go see that one." Everyone shrieked at Umi's announcement.

"Really? We're so excited now. Well definitely be there." They all agreed as Umi looked at the clock.

"Okay. I think we should start practice now."

"Aye!" They pulled out their bows and grabbed the arrows out from the rack. Everyone pulled out three arrows and made their way to their respective spots on the line. Once everyone was ready, their practice finally started. The archery club was well known for their skill and everyone in it was very talented. Most of the shots made were 9 and 10 points.

As for Umi, she was in the zone. Every single shot she made was inside the 10-point zone. All of her shots were very close to each other and she never took her eyes off the target. Everyone took notice this and knew that Umi was serious. It was honestly a little strange for her because she never did this well. Occasionally, she would get a few 10-pointers, but today, it was literally every shot. She didn't know why this was happening, but it didn't really bother either.

After some more time near the end of practice, things started to take a turn. Umi started to miss her shots completely. She tried to refocusing herself, but nothing worked for her. All of her arrows were going in the white or the hay stack behind the targets. That's when she lowered her arm and just stared straight ahead. She felt exactly the same as when practice first started, but it just wasn't the same. But out of nowhere, something came to mind. It was the image of her and Kotori kissing. Her heart immediately started to pound out of her chest and sweat started to fill her palms. This image was causing her to lose her focus to the point where she couldn't even look straight without feeling a little dizzy. The others started to take notice of this and decided to end practice a little early.

"I think that's enough for one day. Stop shooting please!" The last arrow was shot and everyone else went to go pick up their arrows. "Hey, Umi-senpai, are you okay?" Umi hand her hands on her head in confusion.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just been a long day."

"Well, I know it's your day to clean the dojo, but would you like to head home? I'll take over your shift."

"No, it's alright. I don't want you to do that."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, feel free to head home." She put her hands on her shoulder and pushed her out the building of the club. Everyone else made their way out and Umi was left alone. She slowly looked around and saw that there wasn't a lot to clean. Some of the supplies were a little messed up, but it was anything too hard. She immediately got to work, but was quickly stopped in her tracks. Her heart was pounding like crazy which made it really difficult to finish her job. At that moment, she heard the door sliding up, but didn't turn her head. She wanted to finish her work as fast as possible so she could go home.

"Uuuuumi-chan." Umi suddenly froze for she knew whose voice that was. Out of nowhere, Kotori came up from behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist.

"Kotori, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you in your uniform. You're so cute when you where this outfit." Umi's face turned bright red again.

"Don't say that. I'm not cute. Stop teasing me." She squeezed her even tighter and kissed her on the neck.

"But you are… And I'm being completely honest." She brought her hand and touched Umi's cheek. Her cheek was hot, but she tried turning away. "May we?" She turned her cheek and kissed her on the lips. Immediately, Umi's knees started to shake until they lost their strength. Holding on to Kotori, the two of them fell to the ground as Kotori fell on top of Umi.

"G-Get off."

"Why? Doesn't this turn you on even more? Doing it when people could easily spot us?"

"No! We can't do that here."

"It's fine. I locked the door when I came in." She lowered her head and kissed her at the bottom of her neck.

"Mmm, Kotori, please stop."

"Come on, Umi-chan. Just let it happen." Kotori tried removing her uniform, but it was just a little too complicated. Umi hands were flying all over the place until she managed to put her hands on Kotori's shoulders and push her off. At the same time, Kotori locked her hand on Umi's wrist so they ended up switching places. "Umi-chan, I didn't know you were so daring. We could do it this way if you want." Umi's face turned red once more.

"Be quiet. I didn't do this on purpose. Jeez, let's just go home." She stood up and went to grab her things. Kotori was a little slow getting up, but inside, she really wanted Umi to go all of the way.

End of Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 4

The New Members

After some time, Muse gained some news members including Rin, Hanayo, and Maki. It wasn't pretty, but those girls supported the idea of saving the school and wanted to help out as much as possible. Getting new members was a sign that they were doing a good job at being idols, but there were some problems and most of it was for Kotori. The new first-years took a liking to Umi. Since she was one of the coolest girls at school, they spent a lot of time with her. Being the person that she is, Umi decided to go with it. They had fun together as Umi brought them up to speed on the whole situation. Unfortunately, Kotori was extremely jealous.

For her, Umi belong to her and only her. Seeing her with the other girls made her feel jealous… Extremely jealous. Whenever she tried to talking with Umi, the first-years would pop out of nowhere and steal her away. Umi was saddened that she couldn't talk with Kotori more, but she wanted to be a good senpai towards them.

During her time with the first-years, it got her thinking about Kotori's question. She wanted to know how Umi felt about her, but she realized that she still hasn't answered that question yet. She hasn't even been thinking about it herself.

Kotori is a very sweet girl. Ever since I met her, she's been so nice to me. She very pretty and very selfless. It may not seem like it, but I've managed to see that in her. I can't really think of any reason not to like her. She knows me so well, as I to her. Have I just come up with my answer to her question? As school finished up for the day, Umi made her way through the hall when she spotted Kotori walking towards her. She took a deep breath and told herself that she would answer her question, but as they neared closer, Umi was intercepted by the first-years again.

"Hi Umi-senpai. Can we walk home together today?" Umi looked up and immediately saw Kotori's sad face as she started to turn in the other direction.

"Sorry, but I promised someone else that I'd walk with them today." She spoke in a clear voice so that Kotori would hear here. The first-years were saddened a little by her announcement, but couldn't hold her against it so they said goodbye and walked off. Meanwhile, Kotori was still standing the hallway facing the other direction. She quietly walked over to her and took her hand. "May I walk you home today?" Kotori turned her head and her face immediately brightened up with joy.

"Yes you can." With her other hand, she grabbed Umi's arm as the two of them walked home.

As they did, Umi started to feel a little nervous. She did tell herself that she would answer Kotori's question, but now that she was in the situation, she wasn't sure that she could actually do it. Thankfully, Kotori was a happy enough person to occupy the walk with fun conversations so it made things a little for Umi to calm down and try to focus. Kotori's was the first stop so they stopped in front of her house and said their goodbyes.

"Umi-chan, thank you for walking me home."

"Of course. Anytime, I love walking with you."

"Haha, don't you remember we used to do this all of the time when we were kids."

"Yeah, that was pretty fun. I always had to carry you since you got tired really easily."

"Hey, that's not fair." Umi started to laugh which eventually caused Kotori to laugh as well. "Okay, well, I'll see you next week." At that moment, Kotori leaned on Umi's shoulder and kissed her on the cheek. "Bye Umi-chan." Umi felt her cheek and was extremely warm. And then, she remembered what she came here to do.

"Uh, Kotori, can you hold on for a moment?" She stopped right before getting to the front door. That's when Umi started to feel really nervous. She dropped her head and her heart started to race.

"What is it Umi-chan?"

"I, uh… I have an answer to your question." She tried looking up, but it was just too hard.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your question. You said that you loved me and that you wanted to know how I felt about you."

"Oh right. If you're feeling pressured by it, you don't need to answer. You can take all the time you need. I don't want you doing something you're not comfortable with."

"But I want to. I feel bad about leaving that question unanswered when you were completely honest with your feelings."

"It's okay Umi-chan. I kind of feel bad about putting you in that situation. If you feel you're not ready then…" Out of nowhere, Umi gripped her by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Kotori, I love you." At that moment, a tear fell from Umi's eye.

"Umi-chan?"

"Huh?" She let go of Kotori's shoulders and brought her hands up to her face. "Why am I crying?" She tried cleaning up her face, but Kotori's hands stopped her before she could. When their hands met contact, the two of them could feel each other's warmth. It was so strong and so genuine.

"I love you too Umi-chan… so much. Please don't ever let me go." Kotori melted into her body and Umi could feel the tears leave her eyes. They soaked up into her shirt, but she didn't care. They were crying for the same reason. They both loved each other and that was all that mattered. "Umi-chan, do you mind spending the night again? I promise I won't do anything like I did the last time." Immediately, Umi felt a lot better about this than before.

"Okay." Kotori's face lit up as she turned around to open up the front door. After that, she grabbed Umi's hand and pulled her inside.

When they got inside, Umi couldn't help but laugh a little. Usually when she visits Kotori's house, it's after a long period of time, but she literally was here about a few days ago. They went upstairs where they got freshened up and had some dinner. This time, Kotori was the one who prepared the food. Kotori was never good at cooking when in comparison to Umi, but she tried her absolute best not to disappoint her. When they sat down to eat, Umi took her time chewing and made sure she tasted everything. On the other hand, Kotori was sitting across the table with her tongue in between her teeth.

"Umi-chan, how is it?" She finally swallowed her food and looked over at her. By now, Kotori was sweating from every pore of her body.

"It's delicious."

"Ugh!" She nearly fell out of her seat from the anticipation. Umi didn't tease her a lot, but when she did, she hated it. However, this was one reason why Kotori loved Umi so much. Umi just knew her and how to deal with her as a person whether it was being serious or as a joke.

Once when dinner was done, they headed upstairs to get ready for bed. They took individual showers with Umi first and Kotori after her. Umi was a selfless person so she saved enough hot water for Kotori. When she was done with her shower, she walked back into Kotori's room and walked around a bit. On the walls, she noticed some things she didn't notice the last time she was there. All of the pictures on the walls were her and Kotori, Honoka was in none of them. Out of nowhere, this made her face turn bright red. In every picture, Kotori was either holding her hand, squeezing her arm, or kissing her on the cheek. She couldn't believe it. Her childhood memory wasn't the best so she was caught off-guard by these memories. She didn't even realize all of these things happened. After a few minutes, Kotori finished up her shower and walked back into her room to see Umi setting up the futon.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Setting up the futon?" At that moment, Kotori rolled up the futon and threw it into her closet. "What are you doing? I was going to use that." She shook her head stubbornly.

"You can sleep with me tonight."

"But why are you setting up the futon? Don't you want to sleep on your bed? You don't have to worry about me."

"Don't be silly, Umi-chan. Of course I want to sleep with you," she said as she removed her bath robe. Umi quickly brought up her hands to her nose to stop the bleeding. Kotori was wearing a very thin tank top and black panties.

"Um, Kotori," she said with her hands over her mouth, "where are your pajamas?"

"Huh? These are my pajamas." It was so hard to concentrate since Umi knew that this wasn't her normal sleepwear. "Now, come on. You can sleep next to the wall." Kotori threw over the blankets and gestured her to climb into bed. It took her a while, but Umi eventually climbed into the bed. Not far behind, Kotori snuggled in underneath the blankets and cuddled into Umi's body.

"Kotori!"

"What? I'm cold."

"Then wear your…" Umi suddenly stopped mid-sentence. She couldn't believe it. This girl was already asleep. She sighed and put her arm over her body as she kissed her on the cheek. "Why do you push yourself? Good night Kotori."

End of Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 5

Lovey-Dovey Couple

During school, things were pretty good. There were still girls coming up to Umi and telling her how cool and how cute she was as an idol. Thankfully, Kotori was right by her side making sure that everyone knew that Umi was hers. As for being an idol, their practices were going pretty well. With the six of them in full attendance, practice was fun and very intense. They wanted to make sure that they were doing everything perfectly while still having fun. This was probably the only time in the day where Kotori didn't spend a lot of time with Umi. Umi mostly conducted the flow of practice which made it difficult for Kotori to get a quick hug or kiss. Whenever Umi was in her sports mode, there was no way to talk to her unless it was about sports.

However, when practice was over, Umi completely belonged to Kotori. They nearly did everything together. They had lunch together, they walked around together; name anything and they would be together. Something that was surprising about this behavior was that Umi didn't mind. Of course, from an outside view, Kotori may seem attached to her, but Umi kind of enjoyed all the love she was receiving from Kotori.

For the days when she had archery practice, Kotori would always wait for her. At the same time, her teammates would always ask her if that was her girlfriend and that's when Umi would deny everything. She would just say that they were friends, but everyone knew that there was something deeper.

Once practice was over, Umi would walk out of the dojo to meet Kotori who was waiting for her. She clung to her arm and they walked home together. It took her awhile to allow Kotori into her house, but when it happened, there was no hesitation in her step. She walked through the front door and immediately gained a smile on her face.

"Gosh, your house is so beautiful, Umi-chan."

"What are you talking about? There's nothing that's exceptionally special about it. It's just a normal house." Kotori smiled and hugged her arm.

"I love that modest side of you." Umi's face turned red as she turned her head.

"Okay Kotori, get off. I need to make some dinner."

"You don't have to worry about that. I already brought something to eat."

"What? I didn't see you have anything like that."

"Haha." She leaned on her shoulder and whispered in her ear. "You can have me for dinner." Umi immediately threw back her head, but she couldn't escape. Kotori grabbed her hand and guided her up to her room. When they got there, she gently sat down Umi on her bed and she sat down on her lap. She pressed her lips against Umi's and the two of them enjoyed each other's embrace in this special moment. They kissed until they nearly ran out of breath.

"Kotori, what are you doing?"

"I want to make you feel good."

"What does that mean?"

"Just relax Umi-chan. I promise you won't regret this. Just lay back and let me do all of the work." At that moment, Kotori gently pressed Umi's body onto the bed still pressing her lips against hers. As she did this, her hands travelled down onto Umi's shirt and started to unbutton it.

"Kotori, are you kidding?!"

"What? I have to do this or else what's the point."

"I don't even know what you're trying to do," she said with a bright red face.

"Haha, Umi,-chan, you're so cute and so pure. It's alright. I'll do everything for you so just relax." Unbeknownst to her, her shirt and bra were already pulled off of her body. Kotori then leaned over and kissed her at the base of her neck. When she did that, Umi couldn't help but let out a soft moan that turned on Kotori even more. "Umi-chan, you're boobs are perfectly shaped."

"Shut up! You're just making fun of me."

"No I'm not. Everything about your body is perfect." Umi blushed again and turned her head. At that moment, Kotori began with her breasts. She gently massaged them with her hands and sucked on her nipples to keep the feeling. On the other hand, Umi could barely handle what was happening. Kotori was doing such lewd things to her that she didn't know normal people did. As this went on, Kotori's hand eventually trailed down Umi's body towards her skirt. Kotori tried to get underneath it, but something triggered inside of Umi. She launched up and got Kotori on her back.

"I…" Umi was breathing quite heavily. "I think that's enough for one day." She got up off the ground and went to take a shower.

Kotori watched her leave was kind of saddened. She didn't want to upset Umi. She just wanted to make her hers. Apparently, Umi wasn't ready for something like that. She got back up and sat back down on her bed. In her head, she was thinking how she didn't need to rush this. It was just her impulses that were getting the better of her. She put her hands on her lap and waited patiently for her Umi-chan.

On the other hand, Umi was everywhere in her head. As she took a shower, she couldn't stop thinking about Kotori. For some reason, Kotori seemed a lot more attractive than she normally does. Her amber eyes were shimmering in the light. Her skin was so soft and she smelled so nice that she could die. However, she didn't get why she was thinking like this all of a sudden. Umi did tell Kotori that she did love her, but she didn't know that the effects of love would be this deadly. She could barely even stand as she washed her body. She was on the stool for most of her shower. Everything was everywhere for her. She didn't know what to do.

After some time, she finally finished her shower. When she came back into Kotori's room, the lights in the room were off and Kotori was already sleeping on the ground. Umi was confused. She did leave things at a weird time and yet, Kotori was acting as if nothing happened between them. Umi knelt down next to her to check if she was actually sleeping.

"Kotori, are you sleeping?" There was no response. "Hm." She stood back up and walked over to Kotori's bed. As she pulled up the blankets, she looked back down at Kotori and had a strange thought. She looked so peaceful and so inviting. Umi put the blankets back on the bed and crawled in front of Kotori. She threw the blanket over her body and lied down right in front of her. "Good night Kotori." She kissed her on the forehead and out of nowhere, Kotori wrapped her arms Umi and smiled.

"Good night Umi-chan."

"Oh my gosh, you're ridiculous."

End of Chapter 5


	6. Chapter 6

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 6

Sealing the Deal

Time went on and Umi started to get more and more comfortable with Kotori's behavior. Kotori continued to show Umi all of the love in the world while Umi was a little on the slow side. The most she would do was hold her hand when they walked around together. On the other hand, Kotori held her by the arm, kissed her whenever she could, and called her name as loud as she could whenever they were separated. Umi wasn't the kind of person to show this level of affection so she was constantly embarrassed, but she was trying to return Kotori's feelings.

As these two continued to work things out, Muse gained their 7th member, Yazawa Nico. It definitely took some convincing, but it eventually worked out in the end. She provided the club room where they met a couple times a week to discuss some random things. Nico was a huge ball of joy, but Umi and Kotori didn't really connect with her like they did with their first years.

With seven people now in their group, practice and organizing things went a lot better and a lot easier. Unfortunately, they still couldn't get any event that they could perform for. The new members were anxious to perform, but they were still had to gain some more popularity in the school and in the area.

After a day of practice, they quickly packed up and headed home. However, before she could get away. Kotori found Umi and locked her arms around Umi's arm.

"Hey Umi-chan."

"Hi Kotori, what are you doing?"

"What? Can I not be with my Umi-chan?" Umi's face turned bright red as she turned away in embarrassment. "Hey, my parents are gone for the weekend and I really don't want to be home alone. Can I come home with you?" In her head, she couldn't help but think that Kotori's been wanting to come over to her house a lot lately. "Umi-chan, do you want me to come home with you," she asked as she tightened her grip on her arm.

"Um, it's not like I don't want you to… It's just…"

"I'll take that as a yes. Onward to Umi-chan's house." She started to drag Umi through the hall while Umi was a little hesitant about it. She couldn't help but thinking about what might happen when they get to her house. The last time she came over, things happened that Umi was just too embarrassed to talk about. As they walked home, Umi was completely silent while Kotori was so excited to be with her again.

When they got home, Kotori immediately ran up to Umi's room and waited for her. On the other hand, Umi watched her run away and sighed out loud. She loved Kotori, but for some reason, whenever she was with her in her house, she got all flustered and couldn't think straight. When she arrived in her room, she immediately saw Kotori sitting on the ground. Her shirt was half buttoned up and her bow tie was in her mouth.

"Umi-chan, are you hungry? You can have me if you want." She nearly had another nose bleed, but she couldn't let Kotori see it. She slammed the door shut and headed off to the bathroom.

Once she made it into the bathroom, she was just dumbfounded. She couldn't believe Kotori was acting like this. She was making it seem like that she was trying to gain her love, but Umi's already told her that she loved her. Why did Kotori have to act like this? She filled up her tub with hot water and stepped inside. Practice today was a little hard so the bath definitely felt better than usual. She sat in there for a few minutes before the bathroom door slid open. She turned around and saw Kotori walking in with nothing but a towel covering her body. When Umi saw her walk in, she turned around as quickly as she could.

"Kotori, what are you doing in here?"

"What? I wanted to take a bath with you." She got in the tub and sat down right behind Umi. Of course, Umi was too embarrassed to turn around which caused her to cover her sensitive parts.

"Umi-chan, there's no need to be embarrassed. We're both girls."

"T-That's not why I'm nervous." Out of nowhere, Kotori wrapped her arms around Umi's waist which made her start to lose her cool.

"W-What are you doing?" At the same time, her hand slowly moved down into her legs. "Kotori, I… ah!"

"Umi-chan, your voice is so soothing when you moan. Can you do it even more?"

"Ah, Kotori, don't touch there. It's dirty… Ah!"

"It's not dirty. Every part of your body is so pure. Don't worry. I'll take care of you." Kotori lowered her head and started to kiss Umi around her neck. Due to this, Umi started to moan even louder and more frequently. Kotori just couldn't control herself. She turned Umi around and lifted her out of the tub and onto her back.

"What are you doing?"

"It's easier this way." Kotori slowly moved down Umi's body and spread her legs.

"Don't spread them. That's way too embarrassing."

"Umi-chan, I can't service you without opening your legs. Why do we have to do this? I thought you would only do it when I'm ready."

"But you are ready now. All you need to do is relax and take nice, deep breaths. I'll take care of you."

"But… ah!" At that moment, Kotori kissed the outside of Umi's pussy which immediately caused her to moan out loud.

"Umi-chan, you're so sensitive. That's what makes you so cute."

In the beginning, Kotori took it easy on her. She licked her around the lips, but it was still a little too much for Umi. Her back arched at the touch of Kotori's tongue. Every so often, Kotori would blow on her pussy which caused Umi to hiccup. It was just simple teasing, but Kotori couldn't believe how pure Umi was.

After a few more minutes of her teasing, she finally got started. With her index finger, she slowly stuck it inside of Umi's pussy. At the same time, Umi could barely handle it. She suddenly screamed out in pain as tears started to roll down her face.

"Kotori, please, I can't take it."

"It's okay, Umi-chan. Once you get used to it, it won't hurt anymore." Kotori shoved her finger in deeper and Umi had the same reaction. She clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes as tight as she could. "You're doing great Umi-chan. Just a little more."

"Kotori, stop. I can't do this. Please."

"Just relax. It's fine."

"No it's not. If you keep going, I'll… Ah!" At that moment, Kotori's finger was pushed out of Umi's pussy and then something started to leak out. Unfortunately, it wasn't her cum. Kotori went a little too deep too soon to where it triggered her bladder. Umi started to pee all over Kotori's face. Meanwhile, Kotori tried to cover herself up from this unexpected turn of events. Once she finished up, Umi couldn't help but cover her face in shame.

"I told you to stop. Why didn't you listen to me?" It took her a second to answer since she had some of Umi's urine on her face.

"How could I? I just love you so much and I wanted to make you mine."

"Kotori, why are you so persistent? I'm already yours." At that moment, Kotori's face lit up with excitement.

"I am?" Umi finally managed to sit up and saw that Kotori was in complete joy. Umi gently put her hand on her cheek and Kotori quickly grabbed it held it as close as she could. "Am I yours?"

"Isn't that why I told you love you?"

"I just… I wanted to be for sure."

"Kotori, there's nothing to worry about. I'll be completely honest right now. You're the only one for me, okay? I love you, but… Can you calm down with this whole thing? It just doesn't feel right." Umi closed her legs and looked away.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me."

"I'll let you know when I'm ready."

"Okay." Kotori looked down as well since she knew she made Umi a little upset. "Umi-chan?"

"Yes?"

"I…I love you." Umi sighed and leaned over towards Kotori to kiss her on the cheek.

"I love you too."

End of Chapter 6


	7. Chapter 7

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 7

A Special Announcement

For the next couple of days, things were a little awkward between Kotori and Umi. They always said hi to each other and they always walked home together. It was just the conversation part of their encounters that were lacking. Kotori didn't know what to say to her since what she did last time kind of scarred Umi in an interesting way. On the other hand, Umi didn't really know how to handle something like this as a whole. So they mostly stayed quiet and gave each other a promising smile.

One day, the whole school was called into the auditorium for a special announcement from the student council. Everyone had a feeling what it would be about since their school was in danger of being shut down. They just took their seats and waited for what was to come.

"Good morning everyone. I hope you're all doing well today. The student council called this assembly in order to remind everyone of the status of our school. We're still at danger of being shut down so we've proposed an idea. Our school will hold a ball." Immediately, all of the girls started to chatter. "We are allowing anyone and everyone to come in order to show off of school. I know it sounds like a daring plan, but we think it can be a good turnout. The ball will be held next Friday at 7pm. More information will be given out during this next week. We hope to all see you there and thank you for your time." Everyone one stood up and bowed.

"Umi-chan! Uuuumii-chan!" Umi turned around to see Kotori running right at her. She leapt at her and nearly tackled her to the ground. "Did you hear? Did you?"

"Of course I heard. We were all at the assembly."

"Well, what do you think?"

"What do I think?" Umi's face suddenly turned red. "I don't know. I guess it's a good idea when you really think about it."

"That's not what I was asking. Do you wanna go with me?" Umi was frightened by her question that she nearly fell on her butt.

"Huh? Go? I wasn't planning on going." At that moment, Kotori's face immediately drooped.

"Oh, I see."

"I'm sorry, but you know I don't like things like that."

"Yeah, I know. It's just… I was hoping we… Never mind." Kotori turned around and headed back into the academic building.

On the other hand, Umi watched her leave in silence. It was so strange to see her like this since she was always so happy and so cheerful. She knew she was the one to make her sad, but still, Umi couldn't stand dances. There was so much going on and nothing for her to truly enjoy. One of the main things was that she couldn't dance. Yes, she practiced with Muse and they danced all of the time, but slow dancing is a lot different. Just the thought of slow dancing made Umi get all dizzy.

"Hey Umi-chan." She turned around to see Honoka waving at her.

"Oh, hey Honoka."

"Are you going to the ball?" She just had a feeling she would ask this question of her.

"No, probably not."

"Aw why not?"

"Honoka, you know I don't like these girly things like that."

"Yeah, but it'll be really fun. We'll hang out and have a good time." Umi turned her head.

"I'm sorry, but that's just not my thing."

"I understand. Well, are you going to do something that night then? You can't just stay home and do nothing."

"Um, who says I can't?"

"Uhh, you know, everyone says that." Umi gave Honoka a dirty look which caused her to retreat from the conversation. "Yeah, I gotta go. I'll see you later." After that, she stormed off as fast as she could in order to not get caught by Umi. Meanwhile, all of this talk about the ball was really starting to get to Umi.

For the rest of the day, she remained silent. Those reactions from both Kotori and Honoka really made her feel bad. She didn't intend to be mean, but it was all the truth. She didn't want to go to the ball and yet, she was starting to get the feeling that that was the only way to get things back to normal. Once school was over, she made her way to the front gate, but there was something that was a little off. Kotori wasn't with her. Normally, she would intercept before she would leave her classroom, but that wasn't the case. Umi looked around, but couldn't find her. She even asked around to see if anyone knew where she was. Unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found. She pulled out her phone and tried to call her to see where she was.

"Hi, this is Kotori. I can't get to the phone right now, but if you leave a message, I'll get back to you as soon as possible." Umi hung up. It was strange that she wouldn't answer her call. The only thing left for her to do was go to her house and ask what was going on. When she got to Kotori's house, she knocked on her door, but her mother was the one who opened the door.

"Oh, hello Umi-chan. Long time no see."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"Well, what brings you here today?"

"Um, I was wondering if Kotori was here. I didn't really get to see her for most of the day so I was wondering if you knew where she was."

"Actually, she went to her grandparent's house today. She won't be back for a few days."

"Oh, I see. Well, thank you anyone."

"Alright, bye. It was nice seeing you."

"You too." Umi turned around and headed back to her house. On the way there, she suddenly grew sad inside. The only thing she could think of was that Kotori was avoiding her because of what she said. She just couldn't believe that Kotori was taking this so hard. She must have really wanted to go to the ball if she's behaving like this.

When she got home, she immediately headed up to her room and laid down on her bed. At this point, she felt weird. Kotori's been over so many times that being by herself almost felt wrong. She grabbed her pillow and started to cuddle with it. Then, she grabbed her phone off of her desk and called Kotori once again. Unfortunately, she got that same message as before. However, this time, she left a message.

"Hi Kotori. I was just calling to see if you were alright. I didn't get to walk home with you today so things kind of felt a little weird. About today, I didn't really mean what I said. I was just being really sensitive about it. You know how girly things like that make me feel. I guess what I'm trying to say is…"

Beep beep. "Message time reached. To continue, redial the number." Umi looked at her phone and sighed. She hung up and fell back on her bed, throwing her arm over her eyes.

Why do I feel like this?

End of Chapter 7


	8. Chapter 8

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 8

The Ball

The next couple of days were kind of rough. Umi went to school in hopes of seeing Kotori again. Unfortunately, she wasn't there at all. She looked all over the place, but she was nowhere to be found. She asked Honoka and all of the other girls from Muse, but no one knew where she was. The only other option would to be to go her house to see if things were truly okay. The only problem was that she went there once and she wasn't there. Now, the real question was how she was supposed to communicate with her.

"Hey Umi-chan." She turned around as quickly as she could, but it was only Honoka.

"Oh, hi Honoka. What's up?"

"What's going on with you and Kotori-chan?" Umi widened her eyes.

"W-What do you mean?"

"I don't know. Kotori-chan actually called me yesterday and she seemed kind of depressed. Do you know anything about it?"

"No." At that moment, Umi couldn't help but feel jealous. Honoka received a call from Kotori and she didn't. It was obvious that Kotori didn't want to speak to her, but it almost seemed as if she was doing this to tease her. "What did you guys talk about?"

"She just asked if I could give her the school work for the days that she's missed."

"Does that count for today?" Honoka nodded her head. "Would you mind if I gave her the work for today," she asked as she reached for the things in Honoka's hands. However, Honoka turned her body to the side, preventing Umi from grabbing the papers.

"Whoa there, why do you want to do this?"

"Honoka, please, just let me give her the school work," she said with a stern voice.

"Alright, jeez. I was just playing with you." Right as she handed Umi the papers, she snatched out of her hand, nearly giving her a paper cut. After that, she stormed off elsewhere.

When the day finally ended, Umi packed up her things and made her way to Kotori's house. She wanted to call her. She pulled out her phone and stared at her contact name. Unfortunately, she hasn't been answering her for a while now so if she were to tell her that she was on her way to her house, she might not answer. She simply closed her phone and continued on her way to Kotori's house. When she arrived in front of her house, she stared at the front door and took a deep breath. She couldn't say it was her or else her plan would be ruined. She rang the doorbell and remained silent. After a few seconds, the door swung open and Kotori was standing there expecting Honoka.

"Kotori… I, uh… Here's the school work that you needed…" She grabbed it out of her hand and slammed the door shut before Umi could finish her sentence. "Wait, Kotori, I need to talk to you!" Umi knocked on the door, but Kotori refused to answer her. "Please open up."

"I'm listening." She was completely shocked to hear her voice. Umi cleared her throat and began her little spiel.

"Kotori, I am really sorry for what I said before. I didn't know that you balls that much. On the other hand, I'm not girly when it comes to things like that so my natural reaction was to say no. As happy as it would make me feel to avoid going to the ball, I'd rather see you happy attending it. What do you say? Would you still want to go with a lousy friend like me?" Umi waited for a response, but the longer she waited, the more it felt there wasn't going to be one.

"Bye, Umi-chan."

At that moment, it felt like she was stabbed through the heart. She was sacrificing so much by telling her those things and yet, she just gave her the cold shoulder. There wasn't much she could do now. She turned around and was about to head home when something came to mind. She turned back around and pressed her hand against the door.

"Tomorrow night, I'll be waiting for you at the front of the school. I hope to see you there."

…

The next day came around and everyone was in full swing for the ball. The whole school was making preparations for everything to be perfect. There was only one hour of instructions since most of the day had to be devoted to selling this school towards future prospective students. Moving away from those things, something that was odd was that Umi didn't show up to school. Kotori didn't either, but this wasn't really that surprising. Umi was a very good student and to hear that she was missing the day for no reason was just strange.

When night came, the area around Otonokizaka was bustling. All of the girls were prettying themselves up for the ball that they were all excited for. Even Umi was busy trying to look good. She managed to find a long, dark blue dress that fit her personality. Now, she was completing the finishing touches.

"Mom, can you zip up the back for me?" She pulled her hair up and turned her back towards her mother.

"There you go. You look so beautiful, sweety. I'm glad that you're doing this."

"Yeah, I know."

"So is Kotori-chan coming to get you?"

"No," she said nervously. "We're just going to meet there."

"Alrighty, have a great time." She grabbed her by the head and kissed her on the forehead. Umi grabbed what things she needed and headed out. Right as she stepped outside, she saw girls all over the place wearing beautiful dresses, all heading to Otonokizaka. For some reason, Umi started to feel really insecure about herself. She muscled through it, though, and continued on her way to school. When she got there, Honoka and Rin were already there.

"Hey Umi-chan, you decided to come!"

"Yeah, I guess I did."

"What about Kotori-chan, ~nyan?" Umi turned her head. "I don't know." Honoka saw her change in mood and immediately knew that this was something to leave where it was.

"Well, let's go Rin-chan. I bet Hanayo is already waiting for us."

"~Nyan." The two of them walked onto school grounds arm in arm, ready to have a fun night.

On the other hand, Umi simply stood in front of the gate and waited for Kotori. A couple of girls passed by her and asked if she wanted to accompany them, but she said that she had to wait for someone else. They were a little sad by her news, but knew who she was talking about. They smiled and skipped onto campus. Time went by, but Kotori didn't show up. Umi looked all around for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. At that moment, Umi sighed and knew what she had to do. She headed to Kotori's house in hopes that she could finally fix this tension that was in between them.

When she got to Kotori's house, she immediately headed towards the knock and rang her doorbell. When it opened, Kotori's mother was the one to answer it.

"Oh my goodness Umi-chan, you look so beautiful." Umi couldn't help but blush at this comment.

"Thank you Ms. Minami."

"So what's the occasion? Oh wait, don't tell me. The ball, right?" Umi nodded. "That sounds like such a good idea. Hey Kotori, how come you didn't want to go?!"

"Actually, Ms. Minami, that's why I'm here. I wanted to see if Kotori still wanted to accompany me."

"Oh, well, come inside. She's right in the living room." Umi slowly walked inside. When she cleared the hallway, she peeked around the corner and saw Kotori sitting on the couch. She was hugging her legs and watching something very depressing.

"Um, hi Kotori." Kotori slowly brought up her eyes and saw Umi in that long, beautiful, dark blue dress.

"Umi-chan," she said as she burst up from the couch. "What are you doing?"

"I came to take you to the ball." Kotori slowly walked over to her and held her hands.

"You didn't have to do this."

"I… I wanted to. I wasn't going to let you miss this opportunity." Out of nowhere, Kotori jumped into her arms and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll be right down." Umi was totally in shock. She didn't how it was possible, but Kotori changed quite randomly just now. She looked at her mother and her mother just smiled and left the room. After a few minutes, Kotori shut the door to her room which made her look up towards the stairs. At that moment, Kotori walked down while wearing a beautiful white dress.

"Umi-chan, I'm ready." She was in awe. Kotori was beautiful to begin with, but seeing her in this literally sold the deal. She was the most beautiful thing she's ever seen.

"Kotori, I… You're so beautiful."

"Aw, thank you."

"Alright, let's take some pictures."

"Sorry Ms. Minami, but we should head to the ball." She grabbed Kotori's hand and tried to get out the door, but Kotori held her ground. "Kotori, what are you doing?"

"How about we stay here? No one else deserves to see what you look like. You're the one who's too beautiful." Kotori pulled her into her body and kissed her on the lips.

"Kotori?"

"Let's have our own ball here."

End of Chapter 8


	9. Chapter 9

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 9

The Bond Between Lovers

 **Note:** I'll be busy today so here's an early update for you guys. I hope you enjoy.

"Are you sure?" Kotori nodded her head and hugged her even tighter. "Okay."

"Hey, you two, get in here." Kotori finally broke the hug and grabbed Umi's hand to guide her into the living room. When they got there, they saw that a couple of decorations were already put with a food and drink table and a stereo on top of the fireplace. "The dance floor is waiting for you two." Her mother switched on the stereo and a very upbeat song came on.

"Umi-chan, let's dance."

"B-But, I can't…" It was too late. Kotori pulled her into the middle of the living room and they started to dance. Kotori was already having a great time, but Umi didn't really know what she was doing. All she knew was that Kotori was pulling her pushing her arms back and forth like a weirdo.

"Umi-chan, you really do suck at dancing."

"I know. I was trying to tell you, but you went ahead without me being able to tell you."

"Sorry, but come on, this is fun, right?" Umi didn't answer, but in her head, she couldn't help but say yes very softly.

The two of them continued to dance until the playlist ended. When that happened, Kotori's mother invited them into the kitchen for a little snack. Umi couldn't help but ask why Ms. Minami was there since she was the principal. However, the answer was simple. Kotori said she wasn't planning on attending the ball so she asked her other staff members to watch over the students. After that, the conversations stopped as the two of them finished up their snacks. When that happened, Ms. Minami walked back into the living room and put one more song on. It was a slow song. She walked out and left the two of them alone.

"Umi-chan?" Kotori reached across the table and put her hand on top of Umi's. "Can we share this dance together?" Umi was nervous. Slow dancing was part of the reason she didn't like balls and such and now, Kotori was requesting to dance together.

"Um, I already told you that I don't know how to dance."

"It's fine. I'll teach you everything you need to know." Without waiting for her response, Kotori pulled her off of the chair and walked her back into the living room. They made it to the middle of the room where Kotori started to give her the necessary instructions to make this perfect. "You ready?"

"I guess," I said nervously.

"It's pretty simple actually. Put your hands on my waist and I'll put my hands around your neck. After that, all we have to do is sway back and forth." Kotori grabbed Umi's hands and put them on her waist. At that moment, Umi's face turned bright red as Kotori's hands wrapped around her neck. "See, this is nice." Umi couldn't answer. She was so flustered to say anything.

As they danced, the song continued to play and as they listened to the song, it pretty much described their relationship perfectly. The song talked about how they were never really meant for each other and yet, after everything they've been through, their together and extremely happy. Eventually, Kotori grew tired of this. She released her hands from Umi's neck and put them behind Umi, holding her close to her body.

"W-What are you doing?"

"I just want to be close to you. I'm cold." Kotori snuggled closer into her and smiled. "You're so warm, Umi-chan." It took her a second, but she eventually wrapped her arms around Kotori and kept her warm.

"Kotori." At that moment, the song finally came to an end and Kotori looked up. She put her hands on Umi's cheeks and pulled her in for a kiss.

"Hey Kotori, your father and I will be going out for a bit." Kotori didn't answer. She continued to kiss Umi until she ran out of air.

"Come on, Umi-chan." She grabbed her hand and guided her upstairs. All the while, Umi was so flustered. She couldn't complain about what was happening since Kotori was so adorable, but she just didn't know how to handle all of this. They walked up the stairs and made it into Kotori's room. She set Umi down on her bed and got on her knees in front of her. "Umi-chan, I want to thank you for doing this. I know you said you didn't want to, but you ended up doing it anyway."

"It's fine. As long as you're happy, I'm happy." She gave Kotori a smile and Kotori did something totally strange. She bowed her head towards the ground as she was praying.

"I know I'm being selfish and I know what you're going to say, but…" Kotori paused and tried to regain herself. It didn't seem like much, but she was actually starting to lose her cool. "I want to make you mine. I want Umi-chan to be mine and only mine. Umi-chan belongs to no one else. She is beautiful, strong, and everything that is perfect in this world. She's…" Out of nowhere, Umi gently placed her hand underneath Kotori's chin. She raised it back up and smiled at her.

"I'm yours. I, um… I think I'm ready." Kotori's face suddenly lit up with so much joy.

"Umi-chan."

"I love you Kotori."

"I love you too, Umi-chan." Kotori got up off the ground and kissed Umi on the lips. She gently pushed Umi onto her back and with her free hands, she unzipped the back of Umi's dress. After that, Kotori pulled down her dress and exposed her breasts. She gently massaged them which caused Umi to moan softly to herself. "Does that feel good, Umi-chan?"

"Mhm." However, massaging them wasn't enough. She lowered her body and started to suck on her nipples. At first, she teased around the edges, but this proved to be effective on Umi. Her moaning grew louder and her body started to squirm uncontrollably. "Ah Kotori." Kotori couldn't hold back anymore. She sucked on her nipples as hard as she could and Umi immediately responded. "Ah!"

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" Umi's breathing was already rough. It took her a few seconds to answer."

"No… It's fine." Kotori crawled up back to Umi's face and kissed her once again.

"Are you ready?" Umi nodded nervously. Kotori lowered herself once again and pulled off Umi's dress from her body. When she did, all that was left was her cute panties. Kotori bit the top of her panties and dragged them down her body. Once that was done, there was nothing stopping her.

Kotori started off with a simple kiss, but that caused Umi to squirm just a tad. She complained that she was sensitive down there and Kotori told her that she would be gentle. She licked the outside of Umi's pussy and immediately fell in love with her taste. She couldn't help but feel that it tasted like Umi should taste. Kotori was weird that way, but it sounded like Umi was enjoying it so there wasn't really anything wrong with it. She teased her a little more before sticking her finger inside of Umi.

"Mmm, Kotori, not so hard."

"I'm sorry. It'll get easier once you're more used to it." She pushed her finger further inside of Umi and she started to arch her back. This sensation was almost too much for her to handle. It was just a small finger, but it felt it was ripping her apart. Once she got as far as she could, she pulled it back and started to fuck her with a slow, steady pace.

"Ah, Kotori."

"Does that feel good, Umi-chan?" She didn't respond. She just continued to moan with her thrust into her pussy. After a few seconds of that, Kotori quickened her pace which Umi to notice of.

"Kotori, you're going too fast. Ah."

"If I don't then you won't feel good."

"But… Ah!" Her fingers were getting deeper with every thrust which was starting to cause Umi to go blank in her head. "Kotori, please."

"It's okay, Umi-chan. You can cum if you want." Kotori continued with her pace as her fingers were started to be covered in Umi's juices. She started to get her mouth involved as she licked her fingers when she pulled out and licked Umi's pussy when she thrusted back inside of her. On the other hand, Umi was gripping the sheets as tight as she could. She didn't know she could feel like this. It was a feeling she couldn't even explain. This continued to go on until a strange feeling started to develop in her hips.

"Kotori, stop, I feel weird."

"That means you're about to cum. Just hold it in a little bit longer."

"But… Ah!" Kotori suddenly arched her fingers upwards as she continued to fuck Umi's pussy. She also quickened her pace even more. By now, Umi was going crazy. She was trying to escape, but Kotori maintained a hold on her body. "Ah! Kotori!" Kotori didn't listen. She could feel Umi's pussy starting to reject her fingers which meant that it was almost time. With a few more intense thrusts, it finally happened. "Aaahhhhh!" Kotori pulled out her fingers and a bunch of clear liquid oozed out of her pussy.

"Umi-chan, you're cumming." Once the liquid stopped coming out, Umi's body hiccupped from the sensation of her first orgasm. Kotori licked everything that came out of her pussy and eventually made it back to her face. She kissed Umi on the cheek and smiled. "I made love to you, Umi-chan. I'm so happy." She laid down next to her and put her arms around Umi's body.

"Kotori, you're so mean."

"Why?"

"I thought I told you to stop."

"You didn't say such a thing." At that moment, she realized that those words never left her mind. She was too caught up in the amazing feeling of being fucked to actually say stop. "I love you Umi-chan." Being unable to answer, Umi fell asleep with Kotori right next to her.

End of Chapter 9


	10. Chapter 10

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 10

Still Not Enough

 **Note:** Sorry for the late update. My family and I took a mini trip yesterday and didn't get back until just now. Also, this week is kind of a hectic one for me so don't expect updates as usual as they normally would come. However, I hope you enjoy and I hope all of you have had a great summer vacation. Less free time for me, more time to focus on my writing.

Umi and Kotori quickly made up after that night. They also grew a lot happier when they were with each other. It was almost impossible to see them together when they didn't have a smile on their faces. They relationship was like a blast of fresh air.

With the induction on Eli and Nozomi, Muse was complete. With nine members all of different backgrounds, their popularity quickly shot up as well. This only meant that they had to work an even harder now. Their goal was to save the school and that was what they were going to do. They had practice nearly every day after school and when they didn't, they met in their club room to discuss things that needed to be addressed.

Aside from those things, Umi and Kotori were always together. They walked to and from class, they walked home every day, and never a moment went by when the other girls didn't see them together. As weird as this may have seen, the two of them didn't mind it, especially Umi. At first, it kind of seemed a little strange, but now, it barely even phases her. The days when Umi has archery practice, Kotori always sits in and watches. Since Umi wasn't the kind of person to be disrupted when she's doing archery, Kotori always got a show.

However, the strange thing about it all was that Kotori never once tried to make a move on Umi after that night. Umi also noticed this, but didn't say anything about it. Since it was nice having Kotori be her normal Kotori, there was no need to say anything about it. She was simply sweet and loving to Umi whenever she was with her.

It was strange, though. Umi was a very independent person and to have Kotori always around her was a concept that she didn't quite understand. To her, it just seemed that Kotori really liked her and wanted to be with her. But for Kotori, it was a dream come true to be with Umi and to hold her hand with everyone else looking at them. This was child Kotori at play being with her one true love.

…

One day, Umi had early practice with her team so she had to walk to school on her own. Of course, she told Kotori about this. Kotori said she would walk with her, but Umi told her right as she was about to leave for school and there was no way Kotori could have caught up with her.

Practice was good as always. Once that was done, Umi packed up her things, and got ready for school. She walked out of the dojo and looked around to see that most of the students were already on campus. That's when she knew that Kotori must be on her way. Right as she walked towards the front gate, a random girl walked up to her.

"Hi Umi-senpai."

"Hi."

"I just wanted to say that a huge fan of Muse and I'm looking forward for your next performance. You guys are the best."

"Aw thank you. We do try our best since we want this school to stay open…" At that moment, the girl bowed her head and headed her an envelope. Umi was a little caught off guard. She stared at the envelope for a few seconds and then took it. When she did, the girl stormed off in the other direction with her head still facing the ground. By now, Umi was confused. She looked down at the note and then back up, only this time, her eyes met Kotori's. "Kotori, hi…" She immediately stormed off as well. "Kotori, where are you going?" Umi grabbed her things and tried to chase her. Meanwhile, Kotori refused to answer her as she escaped from sight.

Umi was determined to find her since she didn't want this to be like what happened about a week ago. She searched everywhere Kotori could have been: The classroom, the clubroom, and the girl's locker room, but she was nowhere to be found. She eventually passed by some of her fellow club members and asked them if they knew where she was. Unfortunately, none of them had information that could help her. Time went on and class started. Umi headed to class, but eventually excused herself since she needed to go the bathroom.

When she did this, she continued her search. She silently wandered the halls to make sure that she didn't miss a single thing. Nothing proved to help so it eventually lead her to the bathroom. When she got in there, she heard a familiar voice with sounds of soft crying. She walked down the aisle of stalls and pressed her ear against the door until she found the one that was being occupied. She slowly opened the door to see Kotori crying all alone.

"Kotori, what are you doing in here?" She didn't answer. Her body just whimpered as her tears slowly rolled down her face. "Is this about what you saw?" Still now answer, but only this time, she nodded. "I promise I would never do that sort of thing to you. See? I haven't even opened it." Kotori slowly lifted her head and saw the unopened envelope. She quickly snatched it out of her hands and opened it up. At that moment, her eyes shot wide open as the letter fell out of her hands. "Kotori, I…" There was no time for her to respond. Kotori grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the stall. She landed on Kotori's lap as she closed the door. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry."

"About what? You're not making any sense."

"I… I thought that that girl gave you a love letter." Umi's eyes widened. "But, um… It turns out that it was for me. I guess she wanted you to give it to me. Haha."

"Is this why you're so upset?" Kotori wrapped her arms around Umi and pulled her in for a hug.

"I know I'm a bad person, but Umi-chan belongs to me. I was jealous that some other girl had the eye on you, even if it wasn't true."

"Oh Kotori, you're such a handful."

"No I'm not. Umi-chan can handle me, can't she?" She pushed her away and looked her straight in the eye. When she did, Umi felt so weak. Kotori was giving her a puppy-dog face that was just too irresistible to say no to. "Umi-chan loves Kotori, right?" She suddenly looked down, grabbed Umi's hands, and looked back up with that same look.

"Ah, Kotori, you don't play fair at all. I don't know how you can sleep at night."

"I can't. That's why I want to sleep with my Umi-chan every single night." She hugged her once again. However, Umi rolled her eyes. Kotori was such a child. Ever since she's known her, she's always been the one to rely on other people no matter what the situation was. Also, Kotori has always had a thing for Umi so seeing this right before her eyes was almost like part of her elaborate plan to treat her nicer than anyone else.

End of Chapter 10


	11. Chapter 11

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 11

Gaining Popularity

That night, Kotori got her wish. Umi took her home and they got to spend some more time together. Umi was definitely against this, but they eventually shared a bath together. Kotori took good care of Kotori, but the treatment wasn't exactly the same the other way. Umi was still a little uncomfortable about the whole open body thing with Kotori, even though they've made love before. After that, they quickly got ready for bed. This was where things got a little different. Umi was the one who spooned Kotori and Kotori was totally taken by surprise by this. Her face was all red as Umi wrapped her arm around her body. With these events in play, the two of them peacefully turned over for the night.

When they got to school the next day, Eli called a sudden meeting and everyone met up in the clubroom. They were all a little shocked since this was the first actual time they were meeting as a full group. They all settled in as Eli took the floor.

"So I was approached yesterday by some businessman and he said he wanted to use us in a game. Yes, I know. It's completely random, but I think this is a good opportunity. This may help us get more popular. What do you guys think?" Everyone started to chatter amongst themselves.

"If we agree, when would we meet with him?"

"He said that he'd be willing to see us this weekend. Are any of us busy?" They all shook their heads. "Alright, well, I think we should check this out. It won't hurt us just to as how things are going to work. Let's just be prepared to perform in case if they want to see how good we are." They nodded in agreement and Eli concluded the meeting. They all exited the room when Kotori met up with Umi.

"Umi-chan, what do you think about that idea?"

"Huh? I don't really know. I mean, it's really cool how we're being noticed as a group, but I don't know how things will turn because of it."

"You sound worried. I think it'll go just fine."

"I hope so. As long as there isn't anything embarrassing to do, I'll be fine."

…

When they went to the meeting, Umi was speechless. The businessman explained to them that it would be a tap game that included all of their songs. Players would collect cards that had them on and each card would be them in all sorts of cute outfits. Everyone really enjoyed the idea… Everyone, except Umi. Kotori noticed her awkwardness and tried to ease her pain, but it was no use. Umi was so against this idea that she couldn't even speak.

Once all of the talking was done, everyone agreed to their terms. Umi didn't really have a say in it since she was the only one who didn't really like the idea. However, Kotori was by her side the entire time as she held her hand and told her that everything would be alright. For their first order of business, they had Muse record some of their songs and luckily, they had some songs ready to sing. Immediately, the people working there were impressed how well they performed it. Everything sounded good and they blended together as a group.

After the singing part, one of the ladies working guided them into the changing room where there was a set of costumes specially made for them. They were pretty much the same, but had their own unique flair to each individual one. The theme was summer bathing suits which Umi was completely against. She tried leaving the room, but Kotori was there to stop her.

"Umi-chan, please try it out. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"No way. This sort of thing is so vile and so embarrassing. I can't do this."

"Please Umi-chan. You can change in private. I'll make sure no one sees you. I'll make sure no one stares at you when you're changed."

"Really?"

"Of course." I want Umi-chan to be comfortable with this. This is such a cool idea that I don't anyone to not have a great time. Come on." Kotori pulled her back into the room where she grabbed their outfits and started to change. Kotori changed first so that Umi could change in peace. However, when she was finished changing, she called Kotori to come inside and when she did, Kotori nearly fainted from a nosebleed. "Oh my goodness, Umi-chan, you're bathing suit is so cute."

"No, it's not. It's so revealing. How come you get where all of those clothes and I have barely anything covering me." Kotori smiled.

"You looked great, Umi-chan. Come on, let's get out there."

"But…" Without waiting for Umi to finish, she dragged her out of the changing room and into the main room where the photoshoot part was taking place.

When they got there, Umi looked around and saw that all of the other girls were wearing just as embarrassing bathing suits as her. Eli and Maki were wearing almost exactly the same thing and yet, they were acting completely fine. She sighed. She wanted to be comfortable like them, but something inside of her was saying that this was just too much for her. One by one, the photographer called them over and had each of them stand in a pose that was comfortable for them. However, when it was Umi-s turn, she was frozen solid.

"Sonoda-san, you gotta give me a simple pose. It doesn't have to be anything special." Umi stood there with a blank face and nothing going on in her head. "Sonoda-san, are you there?" Out of nowhere, Kotori ran up to her and whispered something in her ear.

"Umi-chan, just look at me and I'll help you out." Those words managed to snap Umi out of her little trance. Kotori ran back behind the camera and struck a pose that was simple for Umi. Umi did her best to try and copy it and got some pretty good results.

"Very good, Sonoda-san. You're a natural."

After everyone finished up their photos, they were taken back to the changing where there were two more outfits for them to try on. Umi couldn't do it anymore, but Kotori was by her side and told her that she would be here the entire time. She then kissed her on the cheek and got ready. That kiss, somehow, motivated Umi to push through all of this uncomfortable atmosphere.

The next set was maid themed and Umi a lot easier time with this. The outfit covered most of her body so she was already more comfortable with this one. However, Kotori helped her out with the pose since Umi wasn't much a girly-girl when it came to things like this. The last outfit was another easy one. It resembled a sailor uniform in that it was white and very cute. Umi managed to get through this one as well. When the day was over, the manager talked to them one last time saying that everything was a success. He also said that depending on the initial start of this plan, they might be called back for more. Everyone enjoyed themselves and thought it was really fun… Everyone, except Umi.

Before they all left, the managed handed them a device that was dedicated to the game that they were making. It was still in beta so nothing was truly set in stone, but they all adored the look of it. Each of them got to start with them as their starter girl with other random girls that apparently signed up for this job. He explained the concept to them one more time and let them go on their way.

On the way home, Umi was completely silent. She was still thinking everything she had to go through and everything that was not on her bucket list. Being in that embarrassing bathing suit was not one of them. However, she also thought about Kotori and how she was by her side the entire time. This managed to bring a smile to her face. Instead of enjoying herself during that photoshoot, she tried her best to make Umi as comfortable as possible and made sure she looked good in front of the cameras.

"Kotori, why do you do things like this?"

End of Chapter 11


	12. Chapter 12

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 12

A Special Day

Kotori woke up bright early for a very special day. She looked at the calendar to make sure that she was mistaking this day for another. When she confirmed it was in fact the day she was waiting for, she quickly got ready and headed out the door. She skipped her entire way to her destination. Of course, her destination was Umi's house. She approached the door quietly and knocked as cheerfully as she could. Umi opened up and Kotori quickly imposed herself.

"Hi Umi-chan, is it alright if I spend the day here? My parents were busy doing some things for most of the day so I thought you'd be available." At that moment, Umi reached behind her nervously.

"I don't know. My parents are also away which means that I have to do all of the weekend chores."

"That's okay." Umi was so confused.

"You're okay?"

"Yeah, I can wait in your room until you're done." She couldn't believe the words that were coming out of this girl's mouth. This was true dedication. She was willing to be by herself until it was time to be with the one she loved.

"Um, I guess you could do that." Kotori smiled, kissed Umi on the cheek, and ran up to her room. Meanwhile, Umi was simply speechless. This girl was just too much for her. However, she was willing to put through it since she loved her enough to look past her little faults.

As Umi started with the chores, Kotori got inside Umi's room and made herself comfortable. However, that only lasted a few seconds. She then started to wander Umi's room, taking in everything that was there. She leapt onto her bed and started to smell the sheets and pillow. Everything smelt like Umi which made her weak at the knees. Umi had such a sweet smell that Kotori could barely concentrate when she caught a whiff of it. After that, she looked at all of the pictures again and was only attracted to ones with her and Umi. She grabbed them off the wall and hugged them and kissed. Thank God Umi was around or else she would be so freaked out.

This behavior only last for a few more minutes since Umi's room was pretty plain. All of the things Kotori smothered to death was all that was in there, except for her private things that Kotori wasn't smart enough to find. She finally sat down on the floor and leaned against her bed. She reached inside of her bag and pulled out one of the costumes she was working on for Muse. She was smart enough to bring these along with her since it took Umi a long time before coming back into her room. When she entered her room, she was completely exhausted, but Kotori was there to greet with a warm smile and open arms.

"Are you all finished, Umi-chan?"

"Not quite. My father left this book for me and he asked me to read it."

"Well, can't you just read it some other time," she said with obvious goal in mind.

"Sorry, but you know how my dad is. And plus, I don't know when he'll be back so it be best to read it now so I don't have to worry about it later."

"Oh, okay," she said as she bowed her head.

"We can still hang out. We'll just be very limited to what we can actually do." Umi managed to bring a small smile back to Kotori's face.

Umi walked into her room and took a seat in front of her bed. Kotori returned to her position on the side of the bed. Umi opened up the book and started to read while Kotori got back to her sewing. It was quiet and that made reading a lot easier for Umi. On the other hand, there was so much that Kotori wanted to talk about, but she just didn't have the guts to bring it up. Does she even remember what day it is? Should I hint at it? Should I stay quiet? Kotori was so troubled that it sort of distracted her from what she was doing. She then laid her things on her lap to try and calm down.

At that moment, the strangest thing happened. Umi's left arm reached around Kotori's waist and found a comfortable place to rest it. Kotori was shocked by this turn of events. Did she finally remember? She turned her head, but was immediately shot down when she noticed that Umi was still reading her book. Although this made her sad, this also made her extremely happy. Umi rarely showed any sign of compassion or love towards her so this was definitely a huge step in their relationship; at least, in the eyes of Kotori.

The silence went on and on until Umi broke the silence. She got up from the ground and left the room. That's when Kotori felt like a knife was stabbed through her chest. Was Umi so annoyed with her that she just had to leave the room? All of those questions from earlier that were running rampant inside Kotori's head were returning with a vengeance. As she continued to think about this, her eyes started to water. Right as a tear was about to fall from her eye, the doorknob turned and revealed Umi with something behind her back.

"Umi-chan?"

"Kotori, I'm sorry about all of this. I had something totally planned, but with my parents leaving on such short notice, I couldn't do anything of this. I hope you don't hate me for this, but… Happy Birthday." She brought her arms around to her front and showed Kotori a cute, little cupcake with a candle on it. "It's your favorite flavor: Vanilla." Kotori couldn't hold it in anymore. The tears started to fall. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." She knelt down in front of Kotori and Kotori suddenly wrapped her arms around Umi's neck.

"Mmm. I'm happy."

"Really?"

"Uh huh. I thought you forgot. I came to celebrate with you, but when I found out that we would be doing nothing, I started to get scared."

"I would never forget your birthday. You're too special for that to happen." Kotori's eyes shot wide open.

"I am?"

"Of course. You're like my oldest friend. You're my best friend and above all, you're my first lover. That's makes you special no matter. I didn't think I would ever find someone for me…" Kotori cut her sentence off with a kiss to the lips. Kotori kissed her with such passion that she was knocked back onto her butt, nearly dropping the cupcake. "Wait, Kotori."

"Why? I know I'm being selfish, but I know what I want for my birthday." She suddenly started to unbutton her shirt. That's when Umi had to be strong.

"I know it's your birthday, but I don't know if I can take this. We've been doing it so often that I can barely concentrate. We do it at school, here, and at my house. Can we just take a break?" Those words were so heavy on Kotori, but it was true. She was pushing her luck just a little too far with their sex life, and with every time, Umi was the victim so of course she would feel this way.

"Oh, I understand. I'm sorry." Kotori fell back and stared at the floor again.

"I know this could never possibly count as a birthday present, but… Happy Birthday." Umi put the cupcake on her desk and leaned in towards Kotori. She placed her hand underneath her chin and brought it up to face her. She then stole a kiss from Kotori's lips. Again, this was another first. Usually, it was Kotori to initiate, but to have Umi do it this time was something out of a romance novel. When she broke away from the kiss, Kotori was as white as could be. "Kotori? Kotori! Are you awake? Pull yourself together!" Umi gripped her by the shoulders, but it was no use. Blood flowing out of her nose as she looked like she was knocked out.

Hehe… Umi-chan kissed me. Umi-chan kissed _me._ I'm in heaven. Best birthday ever.

End of Chapter 12


	13. Chapter 13

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 13

Dreams Can Come True

 **Note:** For some reason, I feel that I need to stress this for this chapter. This is very NSFW so be aware. It says it all in that last sentence so let's get into this. I hope you enjoy the update.

Ugh, why do I feel so tired? It's fine though. I'll just hang out with Umi today. She always makes me feel calm. I guess I should wake up now.

Kotori slowly cracked open her eyes and tried to stretch out her arms, but there was something holding her form doing so. She turned her head and saw that her hands were tied to the bed frame. When she looked down, she saw that her legs were also tied. However, that wasn't even the weirdest part. She was completely naked.

"What's going on?"

"So you're finally awake, huh?" She suddenly turned her head and saw Umi standing at the other end of the room.

"Umi-chan, what's going on?"

"No questions. Just lay there and close your eyes." Umi climbed onto the bed and crawled towards Kotori's face. She then put a blindfold over her eyes and started with her session.

Umi started out with some gentle kisses, but this was already enough to cause Kotori to squirm. Whenever Umi was the one to initiate a kiss, Kotori grew weak and this was definitely the time to feel weak. After that, she moved onto her breasts. She teased Kotori as she rubbed her nipples ever so slightly. This caused Kotori to moan softly as this was the first time this was happening to her. Umi continued to rub around the edges when out of nowhere, she slapped her breasts.

"Hyah!" She looked up at Umi who had a smile on her face.

"Kotori, you're so cute. Let me have all of you." At that moment, Umi travelled down her body and stared right at her pussy. "I bet you're really tight down here."

"Umi-chan, please be gentle. I've never…"

"I bet you have. I bet you do it all of the time, Kotori." She sucked on her fingers and immediately shoved them inside of Kotori.

"Hhnnn." Kotori's reaction was everything she hoped it would be. Her back arched upwards as she gripped her restraints as tight as she could. Seeing this, Umi knew that it was time to get serious. She slowly stuck her fingers as far as she could inside of Kotori. "Umi-chan, you're being too rough."

"But I can tell you like it." Once her fingers were all of the way inside of her, it was time to start. Without any warning, Umi started to fuck Kotori as hard as she could. Her fingers went in and out of her as fast as she could without a care about Kotori at all. She moaned out loud, but Umi continued to fuck her with all of her will. Just after a few seconds of doing that, the walls of Kotori's pussy started to reject Umi's fingers. However, she wasn't going to quit. She simply fucked her harder which made Kotori moan even louder.

"Ahh! Ahh! Umi-chan."

"Come on Kotori. Cum for me." Umi maintained her pace until things started to get interesting. As she stared at Kotori's pussy, her juices started leaking out. Umi quickly lowered her head to clean the mess. As this happened, Kotori's body was squirming out of control. It felt so good, but her body was reacting on its own. It told her to close her legs, but that was impossible. With these restraints in place, there was no way that could happen. Umi continued to fuck her as hard as she could until Kotori's body started to tremble.

"Umi-chan, I'm gonna… Aaaahhhhhh!" Kotori pushed Umi's fingers out of her as clear, white liquid started to flow out of her pussy. Umi kept her head down as she ate up everything that came out of Kotori's pussy. As she was doing this, Kotori's body was jolting from the intense sensation of cumming for the "first" time. Once she was done with her meal, Umi unlocked the restraints on Kotori's wrists and ankles. However, it wasn't over. Umi suddenly threw her legs over her head. "Hyah! Umi-chan, what are you doing?"

"One time isn't good enough for me. I'm gonna make you cum as many times as I can."

"But… This position… It's so lewd… Ah!" Umi shoved her face into Kotori's pussy and shook her head as fast as she could. "Umi-chan… Hhnnn." At that moment, Umi forced her tongue inside of her and went as deep as she could. When she did, Kotori could feel the warmth of Umi's tongue and immediately felt so good.

"Cum for me again, Kotori." She nodded her head and tried to focus. Umi did the same and got down to business. She stretched out her tongue as far as she could and started to wiggle it around. This method wasn't the best, but it came with some interesting results. Kotori's closed her eyes as her moans finally returned with the same amount of intensity as before. Umi continued to dig deeper while Kotori's body was already starting to get weak from this sensation. "You taste so sweet, Kotori. I love it."

"I want Umi-chan to have all of my juices. Ahh!" Kotori gritted her teeth and gripped the sheets as tight as she could. Umi swirled her tongue around inside of Kotori's pussy as fast as she could until she could feel her pussy get warmer and warmer. Then, the walls of her pussy started to contract yet again. "Ah! Ah! Umi-chan, keep going." She was about to cum, but Umi was determined to make this even better than the last time. Kotori's body tried to escape from Umi's grasp, but she held onto her body as tight as she could to prevent her escaping. She wrapped her arms around her legs and held her as close as possible. Along with her swirls, she pushed her face deeper and deeper into Kotori's pussy. "Umi-chan, if you do that, I'll… Aaahhhhh!" As Kotori came, Umi kept her tongue inside of her and made the sensation even better as she sucked up every last bit of her special juices.

Once she finished cumming, Umi let go of her legs and Kotori fell onto her side, panting from reaching her limit. Umi laid down behind her and kissed her on the neck. It took Kotori a few more seconds to be able to speak enough words to get to Umi.

"Umi-chan, I love you."

"I love you too Kotori… But we're not done yet." Kotori suddenly widened her eyes as Umi stuck her hand in between Kotori's legs and got back to work.

My body feels so warm. Why is it this way? Is because of this girl? Is it because we're finally lovers? But honestly, I don't care. I love this girl and she loves me. My body belongs to her and she can do whatever she wants to me. After all, Umi-chan is my one and only and I will only give myself to her. I closed my eyes as Umi-chan took me to dream-like state of love and ecstasy.

…

Kotori suddenly woke up. She looked around the room and saw that it was dark. She also noticed that there was an arm that was wrapped around her. She looked behind her and saw Umi sleeping in her normal position. She was so confused.

Wait, was that a dream? It felt so real, though. There's no way that was a dream. I could feel our love. I could the passion when she was making love to me. Why was that a dream? Why can't that be real? Kotori held onto Umi's arm and kissed it.

"I love you, Umi-chan. Never leave me."

End of Chapter 13


	14. Chapter 14

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 14

Never Leave My Side

 **Note:** Sorry about not updating yesterday. My family and I went on an incredible trip. I hope you all can understand. Putting that aside, I'm back and here for you to enjoy yet another update.

It was another early morning for Umi. She climbed out of bed without disturbing Kotori and got ready. Once she was finished doing all of her morning usuals, she returned to her bed and looked down at Kotori. She couldn't help but blush. She was so cute when she slept and she looked so soft. She brushed her air out of her face which suddenly caused Kotori to wake up slowly.

"Aw, I wanted to watch you sleep a little longer."

"Umi-chan, are you one of those creeps that like to watch people?" At that moment, Umi's face turned bright red as she turned around as quickly as she could.

"No! Don't ever think something like that." From behind, Kotori threw her arms over her shoulders and got as close as she could.

"I'm sorry Umi-chan. It's nice to see you too so early in the day." Umi turned her head and saw Kotori looking right at her. For some reason, something stirred up inside Umi. She leaned in closer to Kotori, ready to give her a kiss, but her door suddenly swung open and her parents appeared out of nowhere.

"Ah, you're up. We have to go to your grandparent's house." Umi and Kotori suddenly stopped their momentum and looked at her parents.

"What? This is kind of random. Why do we have to…"

"You don't remember? They always host a Japanese festival around this time of year. They'd be very disappointed in hearing that you forgot about it." At that moment, Umi bowed her head. She did forget about it even though it was such a big part of her family rituals. "Well, pack your things. We'll leave as soon as you're ready." They were about to leave when Umi interjected once more.

"What about Kotori? Can she come with us?" Kotori suddenly blushed. For Umi to invite her to something as special as her family festival was something special.

"I'm sorry, Kotori-chan, but this is a strict family gathering. I hope you can understand."

"It's okay. I completely understand. Family is the most important thing. I hope you guys have fun." They nodded once more and left Umi to pack up. Meanwhile, Umi was a little slow in packing up. She actually wanted to spend her day with Kotori, but because of this, that was no longer an option. She got up from her bed and started to pack. As she watched, Kotori noticed that there was something off about her. When it came to the right time, Kotori grabbed her hand and pulled her to the side.

"Cheer up, Umi-chan. We'll be able to hang out another day."

"I know, it's just… I wanted to be with you today."

"I know, me too. We can't do anything about it though. Just smile and have fun. I'll be alright."

"Are you sure?" Kotori nodded her head with a smile. "Okay. Well then I guess I'm off." She finished putting her things in her bag as the two of them made their way downstairs. Umi's parents were already packing the car so they walked outside and put everything else in the car.

"Alright. It looks like we have everything. Let's get this show on the road." They piled into the car while Umi and Kotori were still next to each other. Even at this point, it was obvious that Umi didn't really want to go.

"Umi-chan, get going. I'll be fine, and plus, you're going to have a great time as well."

"But…" Kotori suddenly spun her around and tried pushing her towards the car. At that moment, Umi turned around and kissed her right on the lips. The two of them shared this moment for a little while longer before breaking away.

"I promise I won't be there long. Bye." Unfortunately, Kotori had her words stolen from her by that kiss. The only thing she could do was wave goodbye like an idiot unaware of where she was. The car started and drove away towards it destination. Now, Kotori was all by herself. She slowly made her way home in silence. When she got home, her mother was up making breakfast and noticed her walk in.

"Hi sweety, you're not hanging out with Umi-chan?"

"No, her and her family and some important things to do today so I didn't want to bother them."

"Aw, well, I'm making your favorite breakfast so that should be able to cheer you up."

"Okay." Kotori slowly walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. Although she wasn't showing it at all, she was totally hating this turn of events. She wanted Umi to be with her family, but she also wanted to be with Umi. There was only one person who made her happy and it was Umi. To be separated like this was almost torture. All of this time, they were almost always together and the two of them were very happy together. The only thing she could do was wonder if Umi felt the same way wherever she was.

…

During the car trip, Umi was silent. Her parents tried to cheer her up with all of the fun things that come with these festivals, but Umi just gave them small groans. She wasn't really liking this. If Kotori hadn't become such a big part of her life, maybe things would have been different. It's all because that girl decided to confess her love to Umi that Umi is now a different person. She was managing her normal life of being an all-around student with loving and caring for Kotori. It may not seem like much, but for Umi, this was a big step in her life.

Once they arrived at her grandparents' house, they were immediately put to work getting everything ready. All sorts of decorations and party platters were prepared so that this festival would be the greatest one yet.

Unfortunately, Umi was still quiet. When her grandparents reunited with her, she gave them a sweet smile and hug, but she knew that this wasn't where she wanted to be. Yes, family was the most important thing to her, but she couldn't help but blame one person in particular for making her think something else in this situation. That person distracted from her duties and priorities. This was all Kotori's fault.

…

As the day went on, Kotori remained in her room. There was nothing to do. Muse had no upcoming performances so she couldn't occupy her time with making new outfits. None of the girls messaged her or anything so she was alone. All she did was lie on her bed and stare at the ceiling. In this situation, she would be cuddled up next to Umi and enjoying her body warmth. Although she was the only person she ever did this with, Umi's body was so warm and so soothing that it made her feel safe and at peace. However, the only comfort she had now was her pillow and blanket, and those things weren't very comforting.

With nothing to do and no one to talk to, Kotori decided to rummage through her phone to find anything that could cheer her up. The first place she visited was her messages. Right at the top was her conversations with Umi. There wasn't anything special since most of the words that were spoken between each other were in person. However, Umi being her first conversation on her list made her feel happy.

After that, she searched through her pictures for anything that could catch her attention. Immediately, the first picture was the two of them. Umi was looking at the camera, but had an embarrassed look on her face as Kotori was kissing her right on the cheek. Umi's embarrassed face was probably the cutest thing in the world as Kotori stared at it for quite some time.

…

When day finally came to an end, so did Umi. She crashed onto her bed and stared at the ceiling in exhaustion. She totally forgot that these festivals were pretty intense. There was rarely a moment for her to take a breather, but now was the time for that. Everyone in her family was about to fall asleep. However, Umi couldn't fall asleep. There was something bothering her which kept her up. She reached for her phone and checked to see if she got any messages from Kotori. Unfortunately, it was as blank as could be. That's when Umi started to grow a little worried. Kotori always wanted to be in touch with her.

Is she mad at me? Did she want me to call her or something? It is pretty late so I doubt that she'd awake right now. I guess I could try it though.

Umi dialed her number and waited for any kind of response. The tone continued to beep for what seemed to be an eternity. That's when Umi started to think that she was actually made at her. Right as she was about to hang up the phone, the other line picked up.

"Kotori?"

"Umi-chan… you really did call."

"Of course. I wanted to hear your voice again." There was no response. The only thing she could hear was a soft whimper in the background. "Kotori, are you okay?"

"Mhm… I wanted to hear your voice too."

End of Chapter 14


	15. Chapter 15

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 15

Love Finds a Way

 **Note:** Here's a special chapter update since I missed yesterday. I hope you all enjoy it.

"I thought you'd be sleeping already. It is pretty late."

"I couldn't sleep."

"Really? Me neither. Something was keeping me awake. Which is a little weird since I'm a really good sleeper. I don't know. It's just so weird." As she continued to talk, she could hear Kotori laughing in the background which made her stop where she was going. "What? Did I say something funny?"

"Umi-chan, you're just so funny."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're talking about how you couldn't sleep, but just earlier, you said how you wanted to hear my voice." Umi suddenly realized her mistake and blushed. Unfortunately, Kotori couldn't see this, but she felt it in her heart. "It's okay. I'm sure I felt the same way at the time. We've been sleeping together all of this time to where being alone is almost unheard of."

"I… I guess you're right."

"So how are you?"

"Huh? I'm fine, I guess. Today was really tiring and just now is when I finally get some time alone."

"Aw, I'm sorry. When you come back, I'll give you a massage to help relax you."

"Don't make fun of me. You know that these things are really important to my family."

"I know. Good work today. I'm sure everyone appreciated your work. I know I did." Umi's face turned even a brighter shade of red.

"Ugh! You play so unfairly."

"What do you mean?"

"You play with my heart like I'm a child. It's unfair."

"But…"

"Never mind. Good night." At that moment, Umi hung up the phone. However, right as she did, she knew she made a mistake. She immediately tried to call her back, but her phone suddenly ran out of battery. She then ran to her bag in search of her charger, but quickly realized that it wasn't there. She was running out of ideas. She was about to leave the room in search of a phone, but she realized that her grandparents weren't into that kind of technology. She also didn't want to bug her parents since it was so late at night so she was stumped. "Kotori, I'm sorry."

What? She just hung up on me. Is she actually mad at me? Umi-chan, I'm sorry if I said something wrong. Maybe I should call her this time.

Kotori tried calling her back, but got the rejection message. That's when Kotori seriously started to think that Umi was mad. She didn't really know why she would be angry at her, but it was best now to give her some space. She put her phone down and turned off the light.

As she laid on her bed, the coldness of the night quickly started to fill her room. She threw the blankets over her body, but it just didn't feel the same. All of this time, Umi was the one to keep her warm. With her arm wrapped around her body and her perfect size to warm up Kotori, sleeping was really easy for her. Now, she only had a blanket which wasn't doing her any good so that night was a difficult one for her.

At the same time, Umi was also having some difficulties. Normally, she was a very good sleeper, but there was also something stopping her fall asleep. The obvious thing was that she ended her conversation with Kotori rather abruptly. She didn't mean to make it sound that way, but she felt that she sounded kind of harsh towards her. She wanted to resolve that awkwardness between them. Above all though, she wanted Kotori know that she wanted to her. The only bad thing was without her phone, she couldn't tell her that until she got back. She tried to fall asleep, but that emptiness was just too much for her. Not being able to hold Kotori in her arms was a struggle in and of itself. This bond the two of them shared was something special and something they've never experienced before.

…

The rest of the weekend was a long one. Kotori was alone with so much conflict going on inside of her head. Umi was doing so many different things with only one thing going on in her head. She wanted to see Kotori. She wanted to make sure that everything between them was alright. Finally, their trip was over and Umi was eager to get home. The car ride back felt like it was an eternity, but when they finally arrived, Umi jumped out of the car and ran to Kotori's house as fast as she could.

When she arrived at Kotori's house, she knocked on the door and waited for someone to open the door. It took a while, but eventually, the door opened and revealed Kotori's mother.

"Hi Minami sensei, I was wondering if Kotori was home."

"Yeah she is. She's in her room right now, but she hasn't come out yet."

"Oh, really? Um… Would you mind if I come in and talk to her?"

"Sure." She opened the door and invited her in. without wasting any time, Umi headed up to her room. Before even knocking, she pressed her ear against the door and could barely even hear anything inside. She pulled away and took a deep breath.

"Kotori, are you okay?" There was no response. "I, um… I wanted to about what happened the other day. I hung up on you pretty abruptly and I feel really bad about it. I didn't mean for it to be like that. I guess it just came out that way. I was just in the moment. Hearing your voice was so exciting and then you made fun of me. You know, I'm bad when it comes to that kind of thing. However, you deserve to be mad. You were just trying to make me feel better and I…" Out of nowhere, the door suddenly opened up. Kotori was standing there staring at the ground in silence. She slowly walked towards her. "Kotori…"

Smack! Kotori slapped her across the face which took them both by surprise. Immediately after that, she leaned into Umi's body and hugged her.

"Kotori?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I just… I love you so much. I just want you to love me back."

"I do. I love you more than anything."

"Then why won't you show it?"

"Huh?" Umi was caught off guard by this question. All of this time, she thought that she was doing everything she needed to do to show her love. She spent time with her, she cared for her as much as she could, and always thought about her. Unfortunately, for Kotori, this wasn't enough. "Kotori, I…"

"Kotori, your father and I are going out for a bit!"

"Okay." At that moment, she grabbed Umi's hand and walked her into her room. "Umi-chan, I want you to love me too."

"But I do love you." Kotori closed the door behind her and locked it. "What are you doing?" At the same time, Kotori started to strip off her clothes. "Kotori."

End of Chapter 15


	16. Chapter 16

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 16

Their First Time

 **Note:** Well, a lot of people have been requesting this so it's finally happening. Dominant Umi is here and it's not a dream. I hope you enjoy. Also, Saturdays are being made into fan-requested/fan-created stories. If you have an idea that you want me to write about, message me and I'll see what I can do.

Kotori removed her shirt which caused Umi to turn in embarrassment. She's been getting a little more comfortable with the whole "sex" thing with Kotori, but every time it happens, she get super nervous and super flustered.

"Umi-chan, this is embarrassing. Take off your clothes too." Kotori walked over to Umi and started to unbutton her shirt.

"Kotori, wait, hng!" Right as her chest was exposed to the open air, Umi cried out in shock.

"Umi-chan, I have a request for you since you're apologizing." Umi couldn't believe it. Kotori was taking full advantage of the moment. Unfortunately, there was nothing Umi could do since she put herself in this situation to begin with. The only thing she could do now was ask and fulfill the request to the letter.

"Yes, Kotori."

"All of this time we've been having sex, I've always made you feel good. Do ever want to make me feel good?" That questions caused Umi to widen her eyes.

"Kotori, you're kind of sounding selfish, aren't you?"

"No, I just want things to be fair between us. I know you do too." She couldn't deny that fact.

"But… I don't even know what to do." Kotori smiled and held her by her cheeks.

"It's okay. I'll teach you everything you need to know." She kissed her on the lips and walked her to the bed. She sat down and took off the rest of her clothes. Meanwhile, Umi was a little slow since this was something totally new for her and she didn't really know how to react. Once both of their clothes were off, Kotori fell onto her back and looked right at Umi. "Come here, Umi-chan." She brought up her arms, indicating she wanted Umi to be in her arms. Umi climbed onto the bed and got right on top of her. The two of them shared a couple of kisses before Kotori started with her instructions. "You ready?"

"Um, I don't really know."

"Haha, you're so funny."

"Don't make fun of me."

"So, if you want, you can around with my boobs." Umi's face immediately turned red.

"But that's so lewd."

"Umi-chan, you don't need to think about stuff like that. Just think about us becoming one."

"O-Okay." She lowered her body until she was level with her breasts. She was hesitant with opening her mouth so instead, she placed her finger on her nipples and swirled them around a bit.

"Umi-chan, don't be so rough."

"I'm sorry." She took her fingers away for a second and then resumed with a less rough approach. This time, she also tried to use her tongue as well. She touched the very tip of her tongue with her nipples which caused Kotori's body to jolt a bit. It may not seem like it, but this was the first time Kotori was being touched by another person. Umi was surprisingly stimulating to Kotori's body. She didn't resort to sucking on her breasts, but her gentle touch made Kotori feel even better.

"Umi-chan, you don't have to spend all of your time on my boobs. You can go down even more." Umi took a deep breath and lowered her body even more. Once down there, she looked right at Kotori's pussy and started to get really hot. For some reason, seeing someone else's private part was just too much to handle.

"Kotori, I don't know if I can do this."

"It's okay. I trust you. You can do whatever you want, but just know this: Even if I say stop, don't stop." She looked up towards Kotori and saw her smiling. With Kotori's permission, she started to do whatever she thought was best.

She gently pressed her fingers against Kotori's pussy which made Kotori take a deep breath. It was finally time for Umi to make her hers. With her index finger, she gently pushed into her pussy until it finally penetrated it. At that moment, Kotori arched her back upwards with a soft moan. Umi wanted to stop and Kotori knew she was going to. She reassured her once more which only hardened Umi's mind about all of this. She had to keep going no matter what and that's what she was going to do.

Her index finger went as far as it could and Umi could feel her warmth around her finger. Inside was all wet and so weird that it was a little difficult for her to understand why Kotori was reacting in the way she was. She pushed in and pulled out for a little while longer until she noticed Kotori start to get a little antsy. Her body started to move around a lot more than before so she slowed down.

"Umi-chan, you can put more fingers inside. Don't worry about me at all."

How was she supposed to react to this? Kotori was literally giving her body to her and Umi was free to do whatever she wanted.

After hearing those words, she inserted the rest of her fingers and resumed her pace of fucking Kotori. Immediately at the start, Kotori's moans grew louder because there was such much inside of her. She gripped the bed and tried to stay calm as her mind was starting to go blank. As she continued to fuck her, Umi got a little experimental. She arched her fingers upwards and rubbed the roof of her vagina. This caused an immediate response on Kotori's side. Her moans grew louder as she closed her eyes. When she looked up, she was afraid that she was hurting her, but she remembered that Kotori told her to keep going no matter what. She also remembered that Kotori always did this to her right as she was about to cum.

This memory only motivated her even more. She kept on fucking her, regardless of how loud Kotori's moans were. By this time, Kotori was squirming like crazy and Umi was trying to restrain her body as much as she could.

"Umi-chan, please stop." She didn't listen to her. She just kept on fucking her. At the same time, she tried to get as deep as she could inside of Kotori. After a few more thrusts, Umi managed to feel the furthest part of her pussy and started to squirm her fingers around inside. When she did, that's when Kotori lost control. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head while her moans were almost like screams.

"I'm sorry Kotori. You told me not to stop."

"Umi-chan, I'm gonna… Ah… Aaahhhhhh!" Umi tried to keep her fingers inside of her Kotori, but Kotori's vagina somehow pushed her out as she excreted some strange clear, white fluid. It got all over her fingers and she was completely confused. She watched her body squirm out of control and felt so bad about everything she had just did. Once Kotori finally calmed down, she climbed back up to her face and held her cheeks.

"Kotori, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" She took a few more deep breaths before she was able to respond to her.

"I'm… You're…" Out of nowhere, Kotori grabbed her face and kissed her on the lips. When they ran out of breath, they broke away with saliva trailing from their mouths. "Thank you. That felt so good."

"Really? It looked like you were in pain."

"When I'm with you, I'm never in pain." She smiled once more and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you Umi-chan."

"I love you too, Kotori."

End of Chapter 16


	17. Chapter 17

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 17

My Umi-chan

 **Note:** Sorry for the late update. A few days ago, I underwent some surgery and have been unable to spend some time at my computer. I hope you guys can understand. I normally wouldn't lag on my updates, but I hope you can enjoy this new chapter.

Somehow, Kotori woke up before Umi and saw that she was still deep in her sleep so she decided to change things up. She got out of bed and prepared some special breakfast for her. She wasn't too skillful in cooking, but she wanted to do her best since Umi did so much for her all of this time. After some time, she finally finished up the food. It wasn't anything special, but to Kotori, that was the greatest thing in the world. She finished up the plating and took it up to Umi's room.

"Umi-chan? Good morning." She peeked her head into the room and saw something interesting. It looked as though she was awake so she walked over to her, but was immediately thrown off about what she saw. Umi was breathing extremely heavy and her face was bright red. "Oh my… Umi-chan, are you okay?"

"Kotori, is that you?"

"I'm here. What's wrong?"

"I-I don't know. My body's in pain and I can't move."

"Well, sit up. I'm sure breakfast will make you feel better." Kotori set the food down and attempted to sit her up, but Umi screamed out in pain as Kotori's hands touched her back. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"No, it's just that it hurts so much." Kotori knew that she had to call her parents. She quickly ran out of her room and over to her parent's room. She bashed down the door and woke up them up, crying out for help. They knew this wasn't some false alarm so they got ready and headed back to her room. When they arrived, they saw that Umi was in pain. They didn't know what was happening, but they did know that this was beyond their help. Kotori's father quickly made the decision to call Umi's parents and to get them down to the hospital. Kotori's mother was in charge of that while he attempted to move her to the car.

"Umi-chan, are you in pain?" She couldn't respond, but she nodded her head with so much in it. "Alright, this is going to hurt, but I need you to endure it. Are you ready?" She nodded her head once more and it was finally time. Kotori's father picked her up off the bed and carried her to the car. All of the while, Umi was screaming out in pain. It hurt everyone around her to see her in such pain, but once she was in the car, Kotori's father drove off without another word, leaving Kotori behind.

She watched as the car disappeared from sight and then her mother came rushing out of the house. She told her that Umi's parents were on their way and that they should follow behind her father. Without wasting any more time, Kotori ran as fast as she could to the hospital where her father was taking Umi.

When she arrived, she desperately looked for a sign that could direct to where Umi was. It wasn't until she saw her father and Umi's parents when she ran to their side. Although she was out of breath, she couldn't waste any time. She needed to know what was happening.

"What happened? What's going on with Umi-chan?" There was no response. There were just sad looks which only made Kotori even more worried. "Please tell me what's going on." At that moment, one of the doctors working with Umi walked towards their group to announce what was happening. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"I can. Unfortunately, it's not too happy." Kotori's face suddenly turned dark. "This happened so suddenly and it's unfortunate that there's really no way to find out how or when this occurred, but you're daughter has been diagnosed with CRPS."

"What's that?"

"Complex Regional Pain Syndrome."

"That… That sounds big." It was obvious that this news was pretty shocking to Umi's father. "What does that mean?"

"Thankfully, her condition isn't critical so we're doing everything we can to try and suppress the effects of this horrible disease."

"What does it mean?!" Kotori couldn't stand being quiet for much longer. Her voice broke out of the silence like an explosion.

"It's an excruciating pain that affects a certain area of the body. In your daughter's case, her arms have been completely affected. The bad news is that it's somehow spreading to her entire upper body. The other doctors and I are working with her right now so you won't be able to see her. If you give me your contact information, I'll keep in touch with you and let you know when it'll be alright to see her. I'm terribly sorry." At that moment, Kotori dropped to her knees as tears started to form in her eyes. "There was no way we could have seen this coming. I promise to work as hard as I can to help your daughter." She couldn't believe this was happening, especially to Umi. Umi was always the healthiest person she ever knew and for this kind of thing to happen, she just didn't know how to handle it.

She looked to her side and saw Umi's mother starting to break down. Luckily, her husband was right there for her. Her own mother and father weren't too affected, but being there with the family of the victim was definitely a tough scene to be a part of. They stayed there for a few minutes before deciding that it was best to give them space.

"Kotori, let's go home."

"No, I wanna stay here."

"Alright. We'll see you at home." They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Once they left, Kotori made her way to the waiting area where Umi's parents were sitting and waiting. Umi's mother was in complete ruins, but Kotori noticed that one of her hands was free. She quickly grabbed it and held it tight.

"It's alright. I know Umi-chan will make it through this. I believe in her." Umi's mother suddenly turned around and looked at Kotori with puffy eyes.

"Kotori-chan, thank you for being here. It means so much that you care about our daughter."

"Of course. I would never leave Umi-chan alone like this." Finally, a small smile emerged from her face and Kotori happily returned the gesture.

Hours went by and there was no news from any of the doctors and staff members. Since the day was late and there was nothing they could do there, Umi's parents cleaned themselves up and left. Kotori gave her deepest condolences to them and walked them out. However, she had no intention of leaving. She was going to stay there and be the first one to see Umi. That was what she wanted and there was no way she would change her mind.

As she sat there alone, it gave her some time to think. However, the only thing she could think about what was happening to Umi and how she could have possibly prevented this. She thought long and hard about it, but it didn't seem there was anything wrong with Umi. She always had a smile on her face with no sign of suffering or being in pain. But at that moment, something else popped up in her head. Kotori realized that Umi was such a selfless person. Everything she did, she did for the sake of the people around her. Maybe she wanted to hide whatever was happening because she didn't want to worry Kotori. When Kotori had this thought, she immediately closed her eyes to prevent the tears from escaping.

"Umi-chan, why would you do that? You know I'm here for you. You don't need to handle everything on your own." The struggle was too much. Those tears she tried so hard to hold back managed to escape her eye lids and fell onto her hands. "Umi-chan… Please."

End of Chapter 17


	18. Chapter 18

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 18

The One By Her Side

Minutes turned to hours and hours turned to day as Kotori heard nothing from the doctors. She stayed there all night and all day in hopes that she would be the first one to hear news about Umi, regardless of it being good or bad. However, she was too afraid to think about the bad so she tried her hardest to keep an optimistic view on things so that Umi could heal faster with whatever she was dealing. The only thing was that the longer she stayed there by herself, the more she began to think that Umi would never come back to her. This was when she turned into a nervous wreck. She dug her head in her hands and tried to stop the tears.

She's not coming back. Why are you still here? All of this effort you're putting in is simply worthless. She'll never recognize you for it. You should know this by now. Umi-chan doesn't notice the little things. You're just a little girl in love. This ambition of yours is causing you to think like a child. You should stop.

But she will come back. Umi-chan's strong and independent. She doesn't need anyone else. As long as she has the will to fight, nothing will stop her. I believe she'll be fine. I also know that she's thinking about me. She has to be worried about me. She cares about me and she knows that I can't do anything on my own. Yep, she'll come back to me and I'll welcome her with open arms. That's why I'm here. I supposed to be the first one to see Umi-chan.

There it is. There's your wishful thinking. You need to grow up. Umi-chan won't be forever and it's not like she's going to be with you for her entire life. She's going places. She has so much potential and you're the one pulling her back.

That's not true. I'm by Umi-chan's side because I don't want her to be alone. All of her life, she's been alone and I've seen it. That smile I love so much is something I wish to obtain all of the time. Happy Umi-chan is the greatest thing in this world and nothing you say will ever make me think otherwise.

You say this and yet, you're forcing yourself onto her. The first day you made love to her. She wasn't even ready and made her embarrassed about the whole thing. The next time you tried it, things went a little better, but it was obvious that she still wasn't ready. And then when you tried to get her to make love to you, she didn't even know what to do and you simply said to do whatever she wanted. How is that love? That's no love. That's your definition of love. You use any excuse you can to be with Umi-chan. Have you ever thought about her? Maybe she's not comfortable with all of this. Maybe you pushed her to this point. Maybe it's your fault that she's in this situation.

No. Shut up. That's not true at all. Everything I've done, I've done for her.

You're lying. By now, you're starting to realize that these words your thinking are all lies. Your selfishness brought this upon Umi-chan. It's all your fault.

At that moment, Kotori's eyes shot wide open. Tears were forming in her eyes like they've never have before. She was slowly coming to realization. Umi-chan was so selfless to her. Umi-chan wanted to make her happy, but Kotori never cared about how Umi-chan felt. All of those times they spent together, not once did she ever ask what Umi-chan wanted to do. What did she want to do?

The tears were swelling up so much that it was impossible to hold it all in. They fell to the ground like rain. Kotori finally let herself go. She cried out in pain as she smashed her hands against her head.

"This is all my fault! Umi-chan, I'm so sorry!"

…

Back in the OR, things weren't going too well. Because of her condition, they had to be extremely careful with her. She was sensitive to the touch in certain areas and those areas were constantly spreading throughout her body. They put her under, but even then, her body was reacting to their touch in subtle jolts. This worried the doctors since she shouldn't be able to feel anything when she was under.

With Umi being in such a serious condition, the hospital called upon all of its workers to figure out ways she could get better. The ones who weren't involved with the direct operation of Umi called the other hospitals and asked for help. Everyone was desperately trying to figure out a way to save this girl. Thankfully, all of their bustling didn't catch Kotori's attention because if it did, she would have been worried to the point of dying herself.

A couple more days went by and things finally started to look up for Umi and the rest of the operation crew. Her body's nervous died down a bit to where her sense of touch had decreased tremendously. They were able to do the things they needed to do without putting her life in any risk. Once all of the necessary operating was finished, they put her in a room where she was able to relax for the time being. The nurses who were working with her were so nice that it made her stay a little more tolerable. The first thing she was given was food since she was deprived of that during their worried time. When she took a bite of the food, she almost cried. Even though it was hospital food, it was like being in heaven.

Once she settled into her room, there wasn't much she could do. It was a single room so there was no one else she could talk to besides from the nurses who made their rounds every so often. That's when she remembered Kotori. That girl was always by her side. All of this operation and hospital stuff must have her worried sick about her. She tried sitting up, but a nurse entered her room at that moment and stopped her from doing so.

"You shouldn't do that sweety. Your body's sensitive. Try not to push it too hard."

"Alright, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You have nothing to be sorry for." She fell back onto the bed and tried to find that comfortable position she was in a few minutes ago. "You know, there's this really cute girl outside who's been waiting for you all of this time."

"Girl? Kotori?!" She immediately tried sitting up again, but the nurse was there to stop yet again.

"I don't know her name, but she is adorable."

"Can I see her?"

"Um, I don't know. I'd have to ask the doctors to see if it's alright, but I think the more important thing here is are you alright?"

"I think so. Nothing hurts just yet."

"Okay. I may sound a little hesitant about this, but I don't want her to see you in pain."

"I'll be fine. Please ask if it's alright if I see her." The nurse nodded her head and left the room. After a few minutes, that same nurse walked into the waiting room and looked around for the girl. Once she spotted her, she walked over to her and gently put her hand on her shoulder.

"Excuse me sweety," Kotori slowly looked up so see the nurse looking down at her, "there is someone who wants to see you."

End of Chapter 18


	19. Chapter 19

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 19

Open Hearts

 **Note:** This story is approaching its end. There's this chapter, one next week, and then the finale. I hope you've all been enjoying it and I hope you'll enjoy whatever is left to be told. Thank you so much for all of your support and enjoy the update.

"Excuse me, Sonoda-san, you're visitor is here." There was no response. The nurse just knew that it was alright to escort Kotori inside of the room. Once Kotori made it inside, she left to give the two of them some room. Kotori walked into the room very slowly and had her eyes focused on one point: The bed. As much as she didn't want to see the truth, Umi was laying on the bed with everything that comes with the package. She had the heart monitor next to her bed, she was wearing the hospital gown, and the sheets were pulled over most of her body. This sight was something that was a little too much for her.

"I'm sorry." Kotori tried to run away, but she was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Kotori." The sound of that voice caused her to stop dead in her tracks. It was so soothing and so inviting, despite the fact that it was coming from the bed. "Please don't go." Kotori turned around slowly and immediately eye contact with her.

"Umi-chan, I…"

"You don't have to say anything if you're not comfortable. I just really wanted to see you." Kotori turned her head and looked at the ground. "You wanna come sit next to me?"

For some reason, she wanted to leave. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Umi. She couldn't have been happier to see her. It was just that seeing someone in a hospital bed was just something else. This was obviously something serious since Umi was known for having near-perfect health. However, Kotori tried her hardest to put all of this behind her. She slowly walked to the chair that was placed next to the bed and sat down nervously.

"I'm so glad you're here, Kotori. The nurses told me that you've been waiting this entire time. Your effort means the world to me. Thank you."

"Please don't thank me."

"What? What are you talking about? You were thinking about me the entire time and that helped me get better. How can I not thank you?" Kotori was silent. By this point in time, she was trying to hold back the tears that were forming up in her eyes.

"Just don't." Umi looked at Kotori and saw that there was something wrong with her. She didn't know what it was, but she had to ease into it somehow.

"Kotori, can I hold your hand?" Kotori suddenly raised her head and looked at Umi. Meanwhile, Umi had a smile on her face as she did her best to raise her arm into the air. "Please do this one thing for me."

"But… Aren't you still in pain?"

"It's fine. I want to feel your warmth." Now, Umi's hand was wide open for her to take, but Kotori was still hesitant. After learning about what Umi was diagnosed with, she was afraid she would hurt her even more. "Kotori, please." There was nothing she could do. Umi's words were so soft and so open that she was almost forced to do. She gently put her hand on top of Umi's as they interlocked fingers. Unfortunately, Umi had a small struggling look before smiling once again. "Your hands are so warm and soft." Umi bent her arm up to her face and kissed the back of Kotori's hand. As she did this, Kotori noticed that that action was a struggle for her to do.

"Why do you do this?"

"Do what?" This was getting too hard for her. She had to put a stop this before she couldn't take anymore. She suddenly let go of Umi's hand and stood up from her chair.

"Umi-chan, why do you push yourself so much?

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't act clueless. I see it all of the time. You're so selfless. You only think about others and never about yourself. I didn't realize it until now, but you've been pushing yourself to the limit. That's why you're here in that bed. Instead of worrying about your own health, you brushed it aside so that I could be happy. Why did you have to do that? Why?" The tears finally managed to escape Kotori's eyes. She bowed her head as the tears fell onto the floor.

"Kotori, what are you talking about? I've cared about myself and others. How can you say that I'm selfless?"

"Because! You've always done the things I wanted to do. Not once did I ever ask what you wanted to do. You just went along with me because you knew that that would make me happy. I'm tired of it. I want to make you happy. I want to make you smile by doing something for you."

"You've made me smile multiple times. Why are you saying these things? You confessed to me and that made me the happiest person in the world. What more could you ask for?"

"But it's because of that that you're no longer happy. I took your own life away from you. Before we were together, you did so much for the Muse and the archery club. I took you away from those things because I wanted you all to myself."

"I don't care. I can manage all of those things."

"Umi-chan!" At that moment, the room went silent. That was the first time Kotori ever raised her voice at her, and Umi felt the tension in it. It was weak and desperate. Her words weren't reaching Umi so she forced into a corner. It was the corner she was most afraid of. It was the corner she knew she had to go after her time by herself.

"Kotori, come here. I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." Kotori wiped her eyes and lifted her head to get a good view of Umi. "This is for the better. I'm breaking up with you." Umi's facial expression took a drastic turn in the other direction. "I've been nothing but an annoyance to you and it's time that I give you your normal life back. I'm sorry for everything I've done. Goodbye." At that moment, Kotori turned around and stormed out of the room and out of the building.

"Kotori, wait!" Umi tried to raise her arm, but the pain in her arm suddenly returned. She cried out in pain as the nurses and doctors filed into her room to work with her once again. They wheeled her out of her room and back towards the OR. As this happened, Umi started to tear up. It wasn't because of the pain in her arm. It was from the pain in her heart. Those words Kotori spoke to her were so deep that it was impossible not to react to it.

…

As she ran off alone, the tears were falling like a waterfall. She put no effort into stopping it. She knew that this was all of her fault and that this was the best thing to do. Umi was such a strong, independent girl and she was just a "nobody" that was latching onto her fame and glory. But by doing this, she gave Umi her life back while being able to see that smile she wished for from afar. Although she wouldn't be the one to cause that smile, she would be able to see it and feel the warmth of something so radiant. This was the best thing to do and Kotori was determined to keep this up.

Umi-chan was no longer her Umi-chan and she just had to accept it… For both of their sakes.

End of Chapter 19


	20. Chapter 20

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 20

Alone

 **Note:** After this, there's only one chapter left. I'm so sad, but it had to come to this. This story had a great run and I'm excited to see it end as well as see your guys' reaction to it. Without further ado, here's the update. I hope you enjoy it and the finale to come. Thank you so much for all of your support. At the end of the finale, there will be a special announcement so be sure to stick around for it.

Breaking up with Umi was by far the hardest thing Kotori ever had to do. On her way home, it took her so long to get there since the pain in her heart was almost too much to go on. She shed so many tears. However, all of them were for Umi. She couldn't but rethink the idea that this was all of her fault, but it was all over now. She did the best thing for the two of them and she had to live with it. She didn't want to see Umi suffer or be sad anymore. Once she cleared this up in her head, she picked herself up off the ground and headed off with an empty heart.

…

The next week of school was such a struggle for Kotori. She wanted to forget about it all, but there were things going on that prevented her from doing so. There were posters of the Muse members all over the school and Umi was everywhere she looked. Seeing her with that smile made her feel even worse. Seeing it made her feel like it was just a fake smile for show. Unfortunately, this wasn't even the worst part.

The students held a poll to see who they thought was the cutest couple in school. Umi and Kotori won the vote. Everyone searched for the two of them, but could only find Kotori. When they asked her where Umi was, she had to tell them the truth. She told that they broke up. Telling everyone nearly tore her heart in two while everyone else was completely in shock. The two of them looked so perfect for each other and yet, they were now separated. They all wanted to know what happened between them, but because of how Kotori was reacting, they knew it was best to leave it alone.

Kotori had every intention of fighting through this pain and forgetting Umi, but it was just impossible. Everything about being at school made her remember Umi and how happy things were when they were together. Unfortunately, Kotori was quickly turning pessimistic about the whole thing. She started to believe that it was all fake just to make her feel good, regardless of how Umi felt about it.

All of her favorite memories were immediately torn down by the thought of it all being fake. This caused Kotori to shut down completely.

If only Umi was by her side.

…

Back at the hospital, Umi was having a slow recovery. The day after Kotori broke the news to her, nothing else happened. Umi's body had finally combated the disease and allowed her more control of her body. Of course, it wasn't that easy. The doctors kept in the hospital to make sure that it wasn't a fluke. However, her recovery allowed her family and friends to visit her. Her family was first and they were so relieved to see her healthy and smiling. She had to keep a strong front for them because this sight for a parent was devastating no matter what it was.

Once her family got their precious time with her, her friends started to file in. all of the members of Muse decided to come in on the same day to give Umi a little surprise. Unfortunately, the only person who didn't show up was Kotori. Umi took quick notice of this, but tried not to show it in front of the rest of the girls. However, this was very difficult when Honoka brought up their break-up. Eli and Maki smacked her on the head since they knew this topic was a little sensitive. It was sensitive that Umi had no words for it. Right after that, they switched topics to something happier.

After the Muse visit, things really started to die down which gave Umi some time to think to herself. There was a lot to think about and she was determined to examine everything. She wasn't going to let things go on like the way they were.

…

Why did she look sad? Why did she break up with me? I thought she was happy. I did everything I could to make her happy. Also, she always tried to make me happy even though her efforts weren't that great, but who cares about that? What went wrong?

Kotori's a very weak and fragile girl. Something had to have happened within her that made her do this. Never did she ever look sad or disappointed to be with you. Whenever you were with her, you calmed her down and gave her a sense of security. It almost as if she treasured you more than just a girlfriend.

Yeah, I have to agree with that. Kotori's heart is a fragile thing and you were the one that gave it a home. Without you, she was always alone and scared to be with anyone else. Even Honoka didn't make her feel good and she met her first.

I'm just so confused. Why did she break up with you? You didn't do anything wrong… At least, not to my knowledge.

So does this mean that she feels she did something wrong?

Why would she think that? Kotori never does anything wrong when it comes to Umi.

I don't know. She seemed really down the day she visited her.

Hm, that it very true.

Finally, Umi had an epiphany. This has to do with what Kotori was talking about that one time… It has to be. She mentioned how I always did whatever she wanted and when she asked what I wanted to do, I didn't really have an answer. This has to be about that. But then again, why would she be so mad about that? I was just being considerate. Kotori's happiness is the number one thing I care about. She comes before anything and everything in my life. I know family is a big part of my life, but she's definitely up there on that list.

Umi turned her head and saw her phone on the table next to her. She suddenly grabbed it and dialed Kotori's number as fast as she could.

"Oh please… Kotori, pick up the phone."

…

At Kotori's house, she was curled up in a ball in the corner of her room when the phone rang. It took her a few seconds to react as she contemplating on even checking to see who it was. Once she decided to check it out, she was immediately thrown onto the roller coaster of emotions. The sight of seeing Umi's name almost ripped her heart in half. Why was this girl calling her? She already broke up with her. She decided to end it there. Why doesn't Umi understand this?

"Kotori, please pick up." To prevent herself from breaking down anymore, she opened her phone and hung up. Immediately after she pressed the button, the phone slipped out of her hand as she realized what she did. "W-What… Did she just?"

"Oh my God. What did I just do?" She started to reach for the phone, but immediately pulled back. She already made her decision. It was better that the two of them be apart. By calling her back would just make things seem like it was a joke or something. Tears were rolling down her face as she walked towards the other room and motioned her eyes away from the phone. "Umi-chan, I'm sorry, but I just can't anymore."

"Kotori, no. Please! Answer the phone!" Her efforts were futile. The call had already ended, but she was still trying to get to her. Umi's arm suddenly lost strength as it fell onto her lap. She dropped her head and looked right at the phone.

"I love you Umi-chan. You're my Umi-chan forever and ever." She heard Kotori's voice in her head which made her start to tear up.

"Minami Kotori… I don't know why you're doing this, but I need to tell you something. I love you. I don't know how or why, but I've always loved you. Ever since the first moment we met to the day we walked out on the stage and performed our first show, I've always loved you. You are the person I can truly be myself around and you accept me for who I am regardless of what it is. I'm not good at showing my love, but the love you give me motivates me to give you the same love. You're beautiful, sweet, and everything that is perfect in this world. I'm just some average girl who thought she would never be any good in a relationship or even have a relationship. The only thing I can think of now is: Why did you ever date someone like me? I'm just surprised that you kept it going for so long. But, you did look like you were having the time of your life so…" At that moment, Umi's tears started to fall from her face. "Why did you leave me? I wanted to be there for everything. I wanted to be there when you cried, when you smiled… Everything. I wanted you to know that I could be your shoulder to cry on, your blanket whenever you got cold… A heart that could give you the same love you desperately deserve." There was so much more that Umi wanted to say, but the emotions were starting take over her entire body. You're… You're my Kotori. My sweet, little Kotori."

End of Chapter 20


	21. Chapter 21

Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 21

Her True Lover

 **Note:** Well, here it is. The finale to, maybe, one of my most favorite pieces. Be sure to leave a comment about how I did because I always love to hear what you guys think. As for the announcement, it'll be at the end of the story. I hope you enjoy the finale and thank you so much, once again, for all of the support.

At the end of the week, Umi was finally able to hear some good news. After what seemed to be an eternity in the hospital, the doctors told her the situation. Unfortunately, none of it made any sense. They said that this was mysteriously random and that nothing inside of her actually caused this. They told her that she was very healthy and that she wouldn't have to worry about anything like this in the near future. With this being such a weird thing, Umi tried to ask some questions, but their answers were so broad and unsure that it didn't give her any resolve. Once everything was sort of cleared up, they told her that she was free to go.

As she was preparing to leave, a nurse entered the room to clean up the things that were used for her. Of course, Umi thanked her for taking such good care of her and that's when something else was sparked within that conversation.

"That girl who came to visit you a while ago… Was she your girlfriend?" At that moment, Umi's body froze at the sound of those words. "Sorry. I bet that seemed really inappropriate of me, but…"

"No, it's alright. She… She was…"

"Was? What does that mean?" Umi knew that it was best to talk about troublesome things instead of bottling it up inside. She bowed her head and looked at the nurse who had turned in her direction.

"I don't know what it means. Everything was going just fine, but when she came in, something changed and she said that it was best that we stopped being with each other." Saying those words made her heart break. On the other hand, the nurse was in complete shock.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry."

"It's… It's okay. I just…"

"You know, that girl was waiting for you the entire time you were being operated on." Umi suddenly raised her head in curiosity."

"What do you mean?"

"When you were brought in, everyone left except for her. She waited for news regarding you. When it became night, she ended up sleeping on the couch, softly whispering your name. It sounded to me like she really cared about you." As the nurse was telling her this, Umi was busy in her thoughts. She couldn't believe that Kotori would do something like this. It didn't even seem like something she could actually do. As she continued to think, the nurse noticed her busy thinking and interjected once more. "I'm not trying to sound like a love expert or anything, but I'm pretty sure she still loves you." Umi's eyes shot wide open.

"Huh?"

"Working here, I get to see a lot of things and the one thing that always remains the same is love. This place strengthens the bonds between people, especially when that someone manages to fight off whatever has happened to them. I guess seeing you like this really fortified her love for you."

"But if that's true, why would she break up with me? It just doesn't make any sense."

"I'm sorry, sweety. I don't have an answer to that question. I'm sure you'll be able to figure that out. If she does truly love you, she'll find her back to you through the love that you've given to her." After that, she finished up her cleaning duties and headed towards the door. "Congratulations on your recovery and I wish you the best of luck."

The nurse smiled once more and left the room. Meanwhile, Umi was still frozen solid. If what the nurse had told her was true, she had to go to Kotori. That was the only right thing to do. She quickly snapped out of her trance and ran out of the hospital at full speed with one destination in mind: Kotori's house.

Completely disregarding the fact that she should take things easy after staying in the hospital, she ran as fast as she could to Kotori's house. Unfortunately, that time in bed made her a little out of shape. She had to take a couple breaks as to not pass out. If she did that, it would only take longer to see Kotori and fix this whole thing. Once she made it to her house, she was completely out of breath with the door handle within her grasp. She took a few moments to regain her breath before approaching her in this serious situation. She knocked on the door and waited for a response. Unfortunately, her mother was the one who answered.

"Hi Minami-sensei."

"Umi-chan, you're all better. It's so great to see you up and well."

"Thank you. That whole thing was kind of a blur, but I'm glad that I'm alright as well."

"So what brings you here?"

"I actually wanted to talk to Kotori. We had some discussion a little while back, but we were unable to finish it. Is she here?"

"Kotori… I'm sorry, but she's not here."

"Really? Do you know where she might be? I tried calling her, but she won't answer." She didn't respond. She just closed her eyes and dropped her head. "I see… Well, if you see or hear from her. Could you give her a message for me?"

"Of course."

"The message is this: I want to see you. I miss you, and if it seems like this message is lackluster, come and find me. Thank you." She bowed to Kotori's mother and walked off in silence. Meanwhile, she closed the door and walked back towards the living room when she felt a presence at the top of the stairs which caused her to stop.

"Why did you make me do that?" There was no response. "It's obvious that she cares about you. Maybe you should go see her." There was still no response. There was only the sound of a door closing shortly after.

…

The next week of school started and Umi was eager to get to school. She knew that this would be her chance to see Kotori and ease things over. The night before was a struggle since the only thing she could think of was Kotori. She wanted to know what was going on in her head as well as tell her the true feelings that's been developing inside of her.

On her way to school, she was unable to see Kotori. Normally, the two of them walked the same path, but Kotori was nowhere to be found. When she got on campus, it was the same thing. Every place that Kotori would normally be at, she wasn't there. This really started to make Umi worried. Was she really being serious about not seeing each other anymore? There's no way that could have been true. That seemed way too far, even for Kotori, and she's gone pretty far with many things. Once she got into class, she looked around, but Kotori wasn't there either. However, there were a lot of girls that swarmed her and asked her what was going on.

"Umi-chan, what happened?"

"Kotori, told us that you guys broke up. You guys looked so perfect together though."

"Yeah, the school made a poll for the cutest couple and you two won. The only bad thing is that if Kotori is telling the truth, there is no winner." It was nice to know that none of them realized that she had been in the hospital for the past week.

"Anyway, have you guys seen Kotori? I really need to talk to her." They all gasped.

"Are you going to talk to her about this break-up?" Her patience was growing thin with these girls, but she did know that they could help her find her if she was on campus."

"Umi-chan, you can use the announcement office. We can open it up for you. Hopefully, Kotori-chan will hear it and run for you."

"That would be perfect."

"Alright, let's go." She followed the two girls to the announcement office where she settled in and prepared the best thing she could in order for it to capture Kotori's attention.

"Kotori, Kotori, are you there? If you are, please come and find me. I really need to talk to you. You left on such odd terms that I wanted to clear up the area. You've been telling everyone that we've broken up, but is that really what you want? To be honest, I don't want that to happen. You always make me happy and I want to make you happy as well. Whenever we are together, things just always feel right. You have to have felt the same. Now, I don't know why you broke up with me, but I'm pretty sure that you have a good reason for doing it. However, I want you to give me a second chance. Please let me make things right. Whatever I did to you, I'm sorry. I want to be with you again. I… I want to be your Umi-chan." Umi stopped there in hopes that a knock would come from the door, but there was no knock. At this point in time, it was becoming more obvious that Kotori was not at school. She quickly grew sad and headed out of the announcement office. Right as she got outside, something immediately caught her attention.

"Umi-chan! She's here! She's making her way to the exit!" Without a moment to waste, she ran down the stairs and through the exit where she saw Kotori about to reach the gate of the school.

"Kotori, please wait!" She reached out her hand and with some stroke of luck, Kotori stopped just before leaving her sight. "Please don't go. I want to talk to you." Kotori suddenly turned around with the fakest smile Umi's ever seen.

"Umi-chan, I already told you that it's better for us not to be with each other. Don't you think we should just end it here?"

"But I don't get it. You seemed so happy and you managed to bring out a side of me that I didn't even know I had. Can't you at least tell me why you're doing this? If you can do that, I'll understand your rationale." Kotori's been avoiding this answer all of this time, but now, there was no way she could avoid it.

"I can't be with you because it was all fake!" Kotori closed her eyes and screamed at the top of her lungs so that everyone could hear her. When she reopened them, she saw Umi with such a shocked look on her face.

"Fake? What are you talking about? What was fake about it?"

"Everything. Nothing we did was real. All it did was make me happy."

"But isn't that what you…"

"You didn't care about yourself at all. Anything I wanted to do, you did without question. Whenever I asked if you wanted to do something, you smartly directed it back at me and I went with whatever I wanted. How is that real?

"What do you mean? Of course it was real. All of it was real."

"It can't be real. No one is that selfless. Umi-chan, all you do is care for other people and I am one of those people. I know now that that is unfair. You deserve to be taken care of someone who can love you and do things that you want to do." Kotori suddenly dropped her head. "I can't be that person for you. I've used up enough of your kindness and I think it's time that we… Mmff." Out of nowhere, Umi stole a kiss from Kotori's lips without caring about what she was going to say. Kotori struggled to break free of her grip, but it was no use. She kept fighting back until the she fell onto the ground with Umi right on top of her. "Please, don't do this." Kotori stuck up her arm to try and push her off, but Umi grabbed it before she could and kissed it softly.

"You say I'm being selfless and that it's unfair, but it's quite the opposite." Kotori's eyes widened at the sound of those words. "I'm the one who's been using you. You're beautiful, kind, and that smile is something I cherish. Doing the things that you like to do keep those things alive. Seeing you happy was the thing that made me happy. I couldn't have been happier to see that smile on your face. I love you, Kotori… More than anything else in this entire world." At that moment, tears started to escape from her eyes as Umi pulled her off of the ground. "I'm sorry for not being honest with you, but…"

"Umi-chaaan!" Kotori threw her arms around her shoulders and squeezed her as tight as she could as the tears continued to roll down her face. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just thought that this was the best thing to do. I'm sorry." Kotori started to repeat her words, but all Umi could do was sigh in relief.

"Jeez, you're such a handful."

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me." Umi wrapped her arms around her body and smiled.

"Kotori?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you so much."

"I love you too."

…

A year went by and things were as smooth as could. Umi and Kotori decided to have a lazy together. Kotori spent the day at Umi's house, but Umi was a little busy with another book her father was making her read. However, this didn't bother her at all. She brought her sewing kit and decided to work on a few things. Umi had her back leaned against her bed. Kotori saw the opening in between her legs and took the spot immediately. She nestled in comfortably and got to work. She didn't want to bother Umi and her reading, but after a few minutes, she had to speak up and say something to her.

"Umi-chan, guess what?" There was no response. "Umi-chan?" At that moment, Umi's head dropped onto her shoulder as she was fast asleep. "Umi-chan? You're sleeping now. Jeez, look who's the handful now." Kotori kissed her on her forehead and continued to knit away. Her project was nothing special, but in her head, it symbolized the strong connection she had with this girl. The girl she loved with all of her heart.

The End

 **Ending Note:** Thank you so much for reading this story. I hope you all had a great time. As for the news, here's what I got. I want to write a story alongside you guys so this is what's going to happen.

This next Love Live story will be a harem, based on the character that you guys pick. From now until Friday, post your comments on this chapter indicating who you want the harem character to be. It can be anyone you want to be. Whoever claims the majority will be the main character. Also, you will also be able to create character profiles for the other 8 girls. Be creative and I'll do my best to come up with collection of everything you guys say.

I hope you all decide to take part in this community project. I guarantee it'll be really fun and I'm super interested to see the demographic of best girls.

To conclude, I hope this story lived up to be what you wanted. Thank you once again and I hope to hear from you all soon.


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